Efficacy and Safety of Oral Janus Kinase Inhibitors in Adults and Adolescents with Alopecia Areata: A…

Systematic reviewAmerican journal of clinical dermatology· Jul 2026

Efficacy and Safety of Oral Janus Kinase Inhibitors in Adults and Adolescents with Alopecia Areata: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.

Samuel Morriss, Chuan Hui Foo, Emily Lin … Bevin Bhoyrul

Hair & NailSystematic reviewTreatmentQ1IF 10.1

Oral janus kinase inhibitors sharply raise odds of near-complete scalp hair regrowth by week 24.

Efficacy and Safety of Oral Janus Kinase Inhibitors in Adults and Adolescents with Alopecia Areata: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.

Samuel Morriss … Bevin Bhoyrul

American journal of clinical dermatology · Jul 2026 · Q1 in Dermatology

Background

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder characterised by T-cell-mediated damage of hair follicles, resulting in non-scarring hair loss that can progress to complete scalp (alopecia totalis) or body hair loss (alopecia universalis).

Purpose

We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral janus kinase inhibitors compared with placebo in adults and adolescents with moderate-to-severe alopecia areata.

Methods

Randomised controlled trials evaluating oral janus kinase inhibitors in adolescents and adults (aged ≥12 years) with alopecia areata were included.

n = 4141 participants

Results

Odds of achieving near-complete scalp regrowth were nearly six-fold higher with janus kinase inhibitors than placebo.

OR by subgroup · 95% CI

More results

Twelve randomised controlled trials involving 4141 participants (mean age 35.8 years, mean baseline Severity of Alopecia Tool score 86.0) met the inclusion criteria.

For Severity of Alopecia Tool ≤20, the OR was 7.99 (95% CI 5.13-12.44) at week 24.

More results

Patients treated with oral janus kinase inhibitors were significantly more likely to achieve SALT50, SALT75 and SALT90 across all timepoints (weeks 12-36).

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Conclusion · 1 of 2

Oral janus kinase inhibitors are effective in promoting scalp, eyebrow and eyelash hair regrowth in adults and adolescents with moderate-to-severe alopecia areata, with a trend of higher response rates at later timepoints across studies.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

The favourable safety profile of these agents is reassuring. Future research should prioritise head-to-head randomised controlled trials and long-term pharmacovigilance to define comparative efficacy and safety.

Efficacy and Safety of Oral Janus Kinase Inhibitors in Adults and Adolescents with Alopecia Areata: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.

Efficacy and Safety of Oral Janus Kinase Inhibitors in Adults and Adolescents with Alopecia Areata: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.

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