The Lancet
Even the very word vitiligo denotes stigma—it probably comes from the Latin vitium,
meaning a blemish, a defect, or a flaw. The visibility of depigmented
skin, a culture that judges people by how they look, and enduring
misconceptions of contagion have reinforced negative social attitudes
towards the condition even while it is often dismissed as merely a
cosmetic concern. This double injustice has left many who live with
vitiligo socially and culturally shunned. But science has moved on, and a
deeper understanding of vitiligo's pathophysiology—the immune-mediated
loss of pigment-producing melanocytes—has enabled the development of new
targeted therapeutics. In this week's issue of The Lancet,
Thierry Passeron and colleagues report the first phase 3 trials
(Viti-Up) of an oral systemic therapy—the JAK inhibitor upadacitinib—for
non-segmental vitiligo in adults and adolescents. Full Free Text.
This interesting editorial accompanies a PhRMA study that touts upadacitinib for the treatment of non-segmental vitiligo in adults and adolescents. The editorial gives perspective on the shortcommings of drug therapies for disorders with significant psychosocial overlay.
