Alefacept for severe alopecia areata: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the efficacy of alefacept for the treatment of severe alopecia areata (AA).


METHODS
Multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.


METHODS
Academic departments of dermatology in the United States.


METHODS
Forty-five individuals with chronic and severe AA affecting 50% to 95% of the scalp hair and resistant to previous therapies. Intervention Alefacept, a US Food and Drug Administration-approved T-cell biologic inhibitor for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Main Outcome Measure Improved Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score over 24 weeks.


RESULTS
Participants receiving alefacept for 12 consecutive weeks demonstrated no statistically significant improvement in AA when compared with a well-matched placebo-receiving group (P = .70). Conclusion Alefacept is ineffective for the treatment of severe AA.
Strober
Bruce E
BE
Department of Dermatology, New York University Medical Center, 550 First Ave, TCH-158, New York, NY 10016, USA. strober@nyc.rr.com
Menon
Kavita
K
McMichael
Amy
A
Hordinsky
Maria
M
Krueger
Gerald
G
Panko
Jackie
J
Siu
Kimberly
K
Lustgarten
Jonathan L
JL
Ross
Elizabeth K
EK
Shapiro
Jerry
J
D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000077944:Alefacept; D000506:Alopecia Areata / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City; D011336:Probability; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D003879:Dermatologic Agents; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D000077944:Alefacept