The oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor baricitinib (Olumiant, Lilly) may help treat lichen planus, according to the first-in-human, phase 2 clinical trial.
The findings, which appear in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, describe their first-in-human, phase 2 clinical trial.
For the study, researchers identified unique molecular and cellular changes in the skin with lichen planus, particularly an overactive immune response involving specific types of T cells. The researchers used 2mg daily of baricitinib for 16 weeks to treat patients in the study.
The 12 patients with treatment-refractory disease experienced early and sustained clinical response to the treatment, resulting in an 83% improvement in symptom responsiveness within 16 weeks of treatment, a marked improvement over baseline. The therapy also rapidly reduced interferon activity and pathogenic T-cells.
“This research is an important step in connecting the dots in understanding — and treating —autoimmune and inflammatory diseases,” says senior author Aaron R. Mangold, MD, a Dermatologist and Researcher with the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, AZ. “These findings provide a potential new, effective, disease-specific treatment option for lichen planus and therapeutic targets for other inflammatory diseases.”
