Incyte Biosciences UK’s Opzelura (ruxolitinib) cream has been approved for reimbursement for eligible patients with non-segmental vitiligo by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the NHS.
The decision follows the publication of the Final Draft Guidance (FDG) for the topical treatment of adults and adolescents from the age of 12 with non-segmental vitiligo that also affects the face.
Professor Meghana Pandit, National Medical Director at NHS England, said: “For many people, vitiligo isn’t just a change in skin colour – it can affect how they see themselves and how they feel every day, particularly when it involves the face.
“We also know the condition can have a particularly significant impact on people with darker skin tones, where changes in pigmentation are more visible.”
Vitiligo, an autoimmune disease, can affect any area of the skin but most often affects the face, neck and hands. Around one in 100 people in the UK develop vitiligo, with approximately eight in ten of those suffering with non-segmental vitiligo, where both sides of the body are affected by symmetrical white patches.
Opzelura cream, a topical formulation of a Janus kinase (JAK) 1/2 inhibitor, is the first and only approved treatment in England to offer eligible patients with vitiligo support for re-pigmentation. In clinical trials, many patients saw at least a 75% return of skin colour to affected areas.
Abigail Hurrell, CEO of The Vitiligo Society said: “Vitiligo is a condition that has psychologically devastating effects on people living with it, with our own research showing that 80% of patients said vitiligo negatively impacts their appearance and almost half (46%) suffering with feelings of isolation and depression.”
Opzelura will be offered by the NHS to nearly 100,000 people with non-segmental vitiligo that was previously unsuccessfully treated by steroid creams, or is not suitable for their use.