Deuruxolitinib may significantly improve symptoms of anxiety and depression among adults with severe alopecia areata, recent data suggest, in addition to improving such patients’ quality of life.1
This newly presented data was featured in a poster titled ‘Improvement in Anxiety and Depression in Adult Patients with Severe Alopecia Areata Treated with Deuruxolitinib: Pooled Data from the THRIVE-AA1 and THRIVE-AA2 Phase 3 Trials.’ The poster was presented during the Dermatology Education Foundation (DERM) 2025 NP/PA CME Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Arash Mostaghimi, MD, MBA, MPH, Associate Professor of Dermatology for Brigham and Women’s Hospital, led a team of trial investigators in authoring this data. Mostaghimi and his coauthors highlighted that alopecia areata is a persistent autoimmune condition that is characterized by non-scarring, patchy hair loss on patients’ scalps.
The hair loss condition is frequently linked with diminished quality of life as well as elevated rates of anxiety and depression compared to individuals in the general population. Notable improvements, however, have been observed with deuruxolitinib in terms of substantial scalp hair regrowth in adults with severe alopecia areata.
These findings on euruxolitinib, which is an oral inhibitor targeting Janus kinase (JAK)1 and JAK2, were previously seen in the phase 3 THRIVE-AA1 (NCT04518995) and THRIVE-AA2 (NCT04797650) clinical analyses. In this particular poster, Mostaghimi and colleagues focused their attention on any shifts in mental health outcomes.
Specifically, the investigative team looked at shifts in scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), pooling patient data from the THRIVE-AA1 and THRIVE-AA2 trial program. Those deemed to be eligible to take part in the trials as participants across both studies had been adults in the age range of 18 – 65 years.
These subjects were also required to have experienced at least 50% scalp hair loss as a result of alopecia areata. In order to be included, their current episode would also have had to last between 6 months – 10 years. Those who were selected were randomly assigned to be govem either deuruxolitinib 8 mg twice-per-day (BID), 12 mg BID, or placebo BID for a 24-week timeframe.
The primary aim of these studies, led by Mirimirani and colleagues, had been to determine the proportion of subjects who could attain a Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score of 20 or less by the 24-week mark. Their pooled analysis also examined patient-reported satisfaction levels with scalp hair, evaluated via the 5-point Hair Satisfaction Patient Reported Outcome (SPRO) scale.
Among secondary outcomes the team assessed were the evaluation of HADS scores from baseline to the 24-week mark. The HADS instrument comprises 14 items—7 evaluating levels of anxiety (HADS-A) and 7 evaluationing depression (HADS-D)—rated on a 4-point severity scale. In this scale, higher scores indicated more severe symptoms.
Mostaghimi et al’s post hoc analysis looked at any meaningful changes in HADS scores over these 24 weeks through the use of the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test, stratified by baseline severity of scalp hair loss (partial versus complete/near complete) and by study. No imputation was applied for missing data.
Additional endpoints evaluated in these studies had included the proportion of trial subjects reaching a SALT score of ≤20 at the 8, 12, 16, and 20-week marks, as well as evaluations of safety, such as vital signs, adverse events, concurrent medications, lab values, and physical exams.
Overall, Mostaghimi and coauthors’ results suggested that individuals receiving deuruxolitinib 8 mg BID reported having greater average reductions in total HADS, HADS-A, and HADS-D scores as opposed to those in the placebo arm. Notably, the investigative team highlighted that 22.5% of those in the 8 mg BID cohort attained a ≥6-point dip in total HADS score between baseline and the 24-week mark, versus 11.8% in the placebo cohort—a statistically significant difference (P = .0003).
Additionally, the team found that a significantly larger proportion of their study’s participants who were on deuruxolitinib 8 mg BID had a ≥4-point dip in anxiety scores (HADS-A) and a ≥3-point dip in depression scores (HADS-D), compared with those on a placebo.
Overall, Mostaghimi et al highlighted that a significantly greater proportion of those treated with deuruxolitinib 8 mg BID compared to placebo showed clinically meaningful HADS improvements by Week 24. This, they noted, suggested deuruxolitinib’s efficacy in improving mental health-related outcomes.
For any additional information on data presented at the DERM 2025 Conference, view our latest conference coverage here.
References
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Mostaghimi A, King B, Cassella J, et al. Improvement in Anxiety and Depression in Adult Patients with Severe Alopecia Areata Treated with Deuruxolitinib: Pooled Data from the THRIVE-AA1 and THRIVE-AA2 Phase 3 Trials. Poster presented at the DERM 2025 NP/PA CME Conference; July 23 – 26, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada.