Health Department OKs LITFULO for severe alopecia

In Singapore, the local incidence of alopecia areata is 3.8%.

The Health Sciences Authority has approved LITFULO (ritlecitinib), a once-daily oral treatment, for individuals 12 years of age and older with severe alopecia areata.

Pfizer Singapore, the drug’s developer, said that patients can now access the treatment at specialist clinics and hospitals islandwide.

In Singapore, the local incidence of alopecia areata is 3.8% with patients with severe alopecia less likely to experience full remission and regrowth, as compared to patients with milder forms of alopecia areata.

The drug is a kinase inhibitor that inhibits Janus kinase 3 (JAK3) and the tyrosine kinase expressed in the hepatocellular carcinoma (TEC) family of kinases.

The approval was based on the results of the ALLEGRO Phase 2b/3 trial, which enrolled 718 patients with at least 50% scalp hair loss as measured by the Severity of Alopecia Tool
(SALT), evaluating the efficacy and safety of LITFULO.

Results showed that 23% of patients treated with LITFULO 50 mg had 80% or more scalp hair coverage (SALT≤20) after 24 weeks compared to 2% with placebo. LITFULO was effective and well-tolerated in patients aged 12 years and older.

However, the most common adverse events reported in patients include headache, nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, nausea, and acne.