The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Sun Pharma’s LEQSELVI (deuruxolitinib) 8 mg tablets for the treatment of adults with severe alopecia areata (AA).
LEQSELVI is a new, twice-daily oral selective inhibitor of Janus Kinases (JAK) JAK1 and JAK2. As a JAK inhibitor, LEQSELVI interrupts the pathways thought to contribute to hair loss in severe alopecia areata. This is the third JAK inhibitor approved in AA.
“The approval of deuruxolitinib is a three-peat for AA. June 2022 marked the first-ever approval of a treatment for severe AA (baricitinib in adults), June 2023 the second (ritlecitinib in adolescents and adults), and now deuruxolitinib in 2024! Our goal is successful treatment of everyone with AA, and deuruxolitinib will get us closer to that goal,” Brett King, MD, PhD, an Associate Professor of Dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, CT, tells TDD.
“We welcome the approval of LEQSELVI as a significant step for the alopecia areata community,” says Nicole Friedland, President and CEO, National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) in a news release. “Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease, with significant physical, emotional and financial impacts that go beyond hair loss. Today’s announcement empowers the alopecia community with even more choices, to which NAAF is committed, and provides another important option for those living with severe alopecia areata.”
The approval is based on data from two multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 clinical trials THRIVE-AA1 and THRIVE-AA2, which enrolled a total of 1,220 patients with alopecia areata who had at least 50% scalp hair loss as measured by Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) for more than six months. Data were also collected from two open-label, long-term extension trials in which patients were eligible to enroll upon completion of the 24-week trials.
At study baseline, the average patient had only 13% of their scalp hair coverage. In the trials, at 24 weeks, the primary endpoint was met, with more than 30% of patients taking LEQSELVI experiencing 80% or more scalp hair coverage (SALT ≤20). The number of patients taking LEQSELVI and achieving a SALT score of ≤20 showed a consistent upward trend with no plateau through 24 weeks. Additionally, up to 25% of patients had almost all of their scalp hair back at 24 weeks (≥90% coverage).
“For many people with severe alopecia areata, early intervention with effective treatment is critical,” adds Natasha Mesinkovska, MD, PhD, Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Clinical Research of Dermatology, University of California, Irvine, and investigator in the LEQSELVI clinical development program. “An oral JAK that delivers proven results will be impactful for the alopecia areata community.”
Across the Phase 2 dose-ranging study and Phase 3 randomized, placebo-controlled trials, few patients (3.1%) receiving LEQSELVI 8 mg twice daily were discontinued from the trials due to adverse reactions. In clinical trials, more than 100 people continued taking deuruxolitinib for more than three years.
LEQSELVI may cause serious side effects including serious infections, malignancies, thrombosis, gastrointestinal perforations, and certain laboratory abnormalities. There also may be an increased risk of mortality and major cardiovascular events. LEQSELVI should not be used in patients who are CYP2CP poor metabolizers or who are taking moderate or strong CYP2C9 inhibitors. In placebo-controlled trials, the three most common adverse events were headache (12.4% as compared to 9.4% with placebo), acne (10% as compared to 4.3% with placebo), and nasopharyngitis (8.1% as compared to 6.7% with placebo).
Sun Pharma is committed to delivering support to the alopecia areata community and will introduce an access program to help eligible patients get started and stay on track with their treatment. Please visit www.LEQSELVI.com for additional information.
