Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Olumiant (baricitinib) oral tablets to treat adult patients with severe alopecia areata, a disorder that often appears as patchy baldness and affects more than 300,000 people in the U.S. each year.
Olumiant is a prescription medication that is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, and is used to treat adults with severe alopecia areata.
On June 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug baricitinib (Olumiant) for severe alopecia areata (AA), an autoimmune disease that results in sudden and sometimes extreme hair loss.
There are 3 easy ways you can get started with Olumiant Together: Enroll through your doctor's office. Enroll online here. Call 1-844-OLUMIANT (1-844-658-6426)
OLUMIANT is a once-daily, oral JAK inhibitor discovered by Incyte and licensed to Lilly and is available through specialty pharmacies nationwide.
Olumiant prescriptions are filled through a specialty pharmacy. What is a specialty pharmacy? Specialty pharmacies fill prescriptions for specialty medicines that may be used to treat certain health conditions.
Olumiant is a prescription medicine that is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor used to treat: adults with severe alopecia areata.
Federal regulators have approved the drug Olumiant for the treatment of severe alopecia areata. The medication can be used in place of the painful injections now sometimes prescribed. However, some dermatologists say they are reluctant to prescribe Olumiant to some people due to the potential for serious side effects.
Baricitinib oral tablets — developed by Eli Lilly and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this year — is the first systemic treatment for alopecia areata.
There is currently no cure for alopecia areata, although there are some forms of treatment that can be suggested by doctors to help hair re-grow more quickly. The most common form of alopecia areata treatment is the use of corticosteroids, powerful anti-inflammatory drugs that can suppress the immune system.
Liver problems, including hepatitis B or C.
Elevated liver enzymes have been reported as a side effect with Olumiant. This can be a sign of liver damage. People who already have liver problems, such as hepatitis B or hepatitis C, may be at higher risk of this side effect.
Your signs and symptoms may improve in as few as 7 days. In a study, some people taking Olumiant experienced a 20% improvement in the signs and symptoms of their RA in as few as 7 days. Others saw results in 12 weeks.
In June 2022, the FDA approved Olumiant (baricitinib) for the treatment of adults with severe alopecia areata.
Alopecia areata (AA) occurs when the immune system attacks the hair follicle. Studies have shown a relationship between AA and low vitamin D levels. Vitamin D should be supplemented if levels are low.
Causes of Alopecia Areata
In alopecia areata, the immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles, causing inflammation. Researchers do not fully understand what causes the immune attack on hair follicles, but they believe that both genetic and environmental (non-genetic) factors play a role.
Baricitinib is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Baricitinib is available under the following different brand names: Olumiant.
The Olumiant drug label comes with the following Black Box Warning: Serious Infections: Patients treated with Olumiant are at risk for developing serious infections that may lead to hospitalization or death.
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Olumiant for alopecia areata
For those taking Olumiant 4 mg once daily, some saw 90% or greater scalp hair coverage at 36 weeks, and some saw 80% or greater scalp hair coverage as early as 24 weeks.
No, Olumiant isn't known to cause depression, tiredness, or weight gain. These weren't side effects reported in studies of the drug. Depression, tiredness, and weight gain are all possible symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which Olumiant is used to treat.
They found more adverse events among patients using Xeljanz and Xeljanz XR (56,833) than for Olumiant (2,318) or Rinvoq (5,359). Higher proportions of patients reporting adverse events for Xeljanz were older and female than the other two drugs.
Baricitinib, also known as Olumiant, is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. It's a type of drug known as a Janus kinase JAK inhibitor.
This product is a "Hazardous Chemical" as defined by the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200.
How Olumiant Works. Olumiant is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor that works inside the body. It is thought to disrupt an immune signaling pathway involved in alopecia areata. It is not currently known how inhibiting these immune signals contributes to the therapeutic effects of Olumiant.