Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40192197›Full record

SynthesisExperimental dermatology2025

Off-Label Use of Topical Ruxolitinib in Dermatology: A Systematic Literature Review and Current Perspectives.

Marco Spadafora, Serena Morsia, Vito Giuseppe Di Lernia, Shaniko Kaleci, Giovanni Pellacani, Caterina Longo

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Experimental dermatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Dermatologic Toxicities Induced by JAK Inhibitors.American journal of clinical dermatology · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Marco SpadaforaAzienda Unità Sanitaria Locale - IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Skin Cancer Center, Reggio Emilia, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3509-4222
Serena MorsiaUniversity of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
Vito Giuseppe Di LerniaDermatology Unit, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Shaniko KaleciDepartment of Surgery, Medicine, Dental Medicine and Morphological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
Giovanni PellacaniDepartment of Clinical Internal, Anesthesiological and Cardiovascular Sciences, Dermatology Clinic, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Caterina LongoAzienda Unità Sanitaria Locale - IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Skin Cancer Center, Reggio Emilia, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8218-3896

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

JAK inhibitors are used to treat various inflammatory skin diseases. However, systemic formulations are associated with an increased risk of major adverse events. Ruxolitinib 1.5% cream is a selective topical JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitor, which has recently been approved by EMA and MHRA for treating non-segmental vitiligo, while being FDA-approved for both vitiligo and atopic dermatitis. Recent literature has reported the off-label use of topical Ruxolitinib for several skin conditions, but data are mostly limited to single case reports and series and few prospective studies, with mixed results. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to investigate the potential efficacy of topical Ruxolitinib in various skin diseases in an off-label setting. The following keywords were used for searching the MEDLINE (Pubmed) and Scopus databases from inception to September 2024: "ruxolitinib cream and dermatology" and "topical ruxolitinib and dermatology". Reviews, articles not focusing on the main topic, books and book chapters, and articles with no English text were excluded. A total of 170 studies were screened, of which 112 fell within exclusion criteria and 58 were assessed for eligibility. Of these, 28 studies, published between 2012 and 2024, were selected. Ruxolitinib cream resulted in being used off-label mostly for treating lichenoid and granulomatous dermatoses, as well as alopecia areata. While for the former skin conditions, topical ruxolitinib proved to be effective and safe, results on efficacy in alopecia areata were controversial. Topical ruxolitinib might be a promising therapeutic option for lichenoid and granulomatous dermatoses. Noteworthily, despite the exciting results from the oral formulation, no consistent data were described for topical ruxolitinib in alopecia areata. Our review reported encouraging results for many inflammatory skin conditions that should be investigated in further studies.

Indexed as

Janus Kinase InhibitorsOff-Label UsePyrazolesPyrimidinesSkin DiseasesAdministration, CutaneousAdministration, TopicalAlopecia AreataHumansNitrilesJanus Kinase InhibitorsNitrilesPyrazolesPyrimidinesruxolitinibdermatologyJAK inhibitorsoff‐labelruxolitinib creamtopical ruxolitinib

Identifiers

PMID40192197
PMCPMC11974361

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.