Treating Vitiligo with medication will soon be possible

2023-05-09 08:04:42

The European Medicines Agency has just authorized the sale in France of a cream capable of treating Vitiligo.

Vitiligo is one of the most difficult skin diseases to cure at present. This partial depigmentation can concern all of the patient’s skin or a single part such as the back or the face. In France, almost a million people would be affected by this disease. But until now, there were very few treatments.

However, the European Medicines Agency has announced promising news for all sufferers. In fact, she has authorized the marketing of a treatment in the form of a cream to apply to the skin. This treatment represents real hope for patients, especially since it has recorded impressive results.

The news was, among other things, shared in a press release from the French Association of Vitiligo.

An effective product, especially to treat Vitiligo on the face

The treatment in question is called Opzerula and contains, among other things, ruxolitinib. It is a cream to be applied on the parts of the body on which Vitiligo is present. Moreover, the treatment has the particularity of being suitable for the whole body, including the facial area.

This cream contains a molecule with the ability to block JAK 1 and 2 enzymes. However, it is the latter that impact the immune system of patients and cause depigmentation of the skin. In order to test the efficacy of the treatment and the potential side effects, clinical trials were conducted on a panel of over 700 patients.

The researchers who validated the marketing were convinced by the results of the treatment and its low side effects. Indeed, the results show thatfollowing one year of treatment, the effect of depigmentation is reduced by approximately 90%. However, the effectiveness differs depending on the areas treated. If the cream is very effective on the face, it is a little less so on the limbs (especially the hands and feet).

When will it be possible to obtain this cream in pharmacies?

If marketing is authorized, this does not mean that it is immediate. Indeed, patients will have to wait a few more months before finding Opzelura in pharmacies. In effect, the High Authority for Healtha reference institution in France for the marketing of medicines, still has to approve.

Nevertheless, health professionals and associations are confident. According to the first feedback from the French Association of Vitiligo, commercialization would be possible for the treatment “by the summer of 2024”. However, this date does not take into account any delays in processing the file or other setbacks. But access to effective treatment has never been so close for sufferers.

For now, the marketing of the drug is well authorized in the European Union as specified on the website of the European Medicines Agency.

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