September 2020 was all about vitiligo research. It gave us the joy to know that apart from various Coronavirus vaccine trials, many researchers continued their efforts to find an ultimate, effective treatment for vitiligo this month too.
This September, AVITA Therapeutics (AVH), a Cambridge-based regenerative medicine company was all over the news. AVITA has enrolled the first vitiligo volunteer in its pivotal study that will evaluate the use of its RECELL System and its role in re-pigmentation in vitiligo. The 24 weeks long clinical study is being carried out at multiple sites across the United States. The first volunteer for the study was recruited at the Miami Dermatology and Laser Institute.
The clinical study, in volunteers whose vitiligo has been stable for one year, will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of AVITA’s RECELL System to re-pigment while lesions. So far, several published pilot, randomized clinical trials have reported positive results with the use of RECELL for treating stable vitiligo and re-pigmenting depigmented skin lesions.
In another significant research on vitiligo, it was hinted that Electrocautery Needling Technique can promote repigmentation in the skin condition. According to the results of a case report published in Dermatologic Therapy, a volunteer with stable vitiligo showed successful repigmentation after treatment with electrocautery needling.
To assess the potential of electrocautery needling in repigmentation of white lesions, the therapy was tested on a 32 years old woman who had 2-year old vitiligo localized to the bilateral breast. She tried topical halometasone, 0.1% tacrolimus, and 308-nm excimer light which paused growth of the lesions during the previous year.
To check the efficacy of electrocautery needling, electrocautery needling therapy was given to her at a depth of approximately 1mm with pricking points spaced approximately 3-5mm apart. The therapy was administered twice weekly for 3 months, which resulted in repigmented islands within the lesions. Within the same period, repigmentation had progressed by 30%. Even after the termination of electrocautery needling therapy after 3 months, 50-70% repigmentation was observed.
In another interesting study, it was found that Topical bimatoprost may be a safe and effective repigmentation solution for patients with nonsegmental facial vitiligo. According to study research published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, Topical bimatoprost holds the potential to be an effective alternative of tacrolimus ointment.
The randomized, single-blinded, intra-individual controlled preliminary study had 16 volunteers enrolled that were more than 15 years old and had more than 2 vitiliginous locations on the face and less than 2% of their body surface area involved. A total of 10 patients with a median disease duration of 5 years were also included in the analysis. These volunteers received either topical 0.1% tacrolimus ointment or 0.01% bimatoprost ophthalmic solution that they had to apply twice each day for 12 weeks. At week 12 of the study, 20% of the patients in the bimatoprost group and 10% in the tacrolimus group achieved greater than 50% repigmentation.
The same month, September 2020, the clinical trial report, “Vitiligo Global Clinical Trials Review, H1, 2020″ was also released, to provide an overview of vitiligo clinical trials scenario round the world. The report provides top-line data related to the clinical trials on Vitiligo. If you are an avid reader of medical research, the report provides a snapshot of the global clinical trial landscape and reviews top companies involved, and enlists all trials on vitiligo. The Report provides enrolment trends for the past five years, as well as providing the latest news for the past three months. The report is up for sale on the official website of ReportLinker.