Treatment of recalcitrant atopic dermatitis with the oral Janus kinase inhibitor tofacitinib citrate

Treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) is often inadequate.We sought to evaluate the efficacy of the oral Janus kinase inhibitor tofacitinib citrate in the treatment of moderate to severe AD.Six consecutive patients with moderate to severe AD who had failed standard treatment were treated with tofacitinib citrate. Response to treatment was assessed using the Scoring of AD index.Decreased body surface area involvement of dermatitis and decreased erythema, edema/papulation, lichenification, and excoriation were observed in all patients. The Scoring of AD index decreased by 66.6% from 36.5 to 12.2 (P < .05) during 8 to 29 weeks of treatment. There were no adverse events.Small sample size, lack of placebo control group, and the possibility of bias are limitations.The oral Janus kinase inhibitor tofacitinib citrate may be beneficial in the treatment of moderate to severe AD.