David Rosmarin, MD: Research Questions on Ruxolitinib Treatment for Nonsegmental Vitiligo

In a recent interview with HCPLive, David Rosmarin, MD, a dermatologist and Vice Chair of Research and Education at Tufts Medical Center’s Dermatology Department, spoke about phase 3 trial results from his team’s work on vitiligo treatment.

A recent article in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) highlighted the Phase 3 TRuE-V clinical trial program assessing the efficacy of ruxolitinib cream (Opzelura) in patients 12 years of age and older facing nonsegmental vitiligo.

The TRuE-V1 and 344 in TRuE-V2 studies, in which a total of 674 participants were recruited, involved patients applying 1.5% ruxolitinib cream or vehicle control twice per day for 24 weeks to each vitiligo region on their faces and bodies, before then applying through to week 52.

The studies’ investigators determined their end point to be an improvement of at least 75% from baseline in the facial Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (F-VASI) or a F-VASI75 response by week 24.

“I think it's great that we have a really well studied option that offers hope to a good deal of patients,” he said. “We have some of our traditional options like topical corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors, which have their drawbacks and don't work for everybody. While phototherapy is a great option, many patients don't have access to it.”

Rosmarin went on to explain some of the challenges parents of children with vitiligo face and what the benefits might be in using a topical treatment.

“It's very challenging to go into a phototherapy booth two or three times a week and be far away and interrupt work or school,” he explained. “So this provides a convenient treatment in a topical that patients can do at home.”

Rosmarin further described his views on the future of vitiligo treatment, as well as other questions on the subject still left to be answered by researchers.

To learn more about the phase 3 trials regarding vitiligo treatment, view the interview segment above.