Xeljanz (Tofacitinib Citrate): My experience on the trial

I have received a lot of interest from others on here in my involvement with the Xeljanz trials at Yale.

I thought it would be nice for everyone if I documented my progress on here. 

Xeljanz is a Jak3 inhibitor and is believed to work with alopecia by turning off the distress signal relayed by the hair follicle to the attacking immune system which is the cause of the hairs falling out. Xeljanz comes in a strength of 5mg per pill and a full box contains 60 tablets. The recommended dosage for arthritis is 1 tablet in the morning and another in the evening each day.

The trial is set in a series of stages and there are requirements before participating. These include monthly visits and blood tests every 2 weeks. Dr Brett King is absolutely fantastic and is an inspiration to me. His positivity and enthusiasm gives me the much needed hope I have craved for over a decade. I have been put on a low dose to start with which is 1 tablet every other day. My dosage has now been increased to 1 tablet every day and next month it could be increased to 2 tablets per day depending on the results. 

I have completed my first month and have already noticed my alopecia has stabilised . I have not lost any existing hairs. In addition to this I have seen little hairs growing in my chest area as well as eyebrows. Fingers crossed! To date, I have experienced no side effects.

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AW:  Other discussions on Xeljanz / Tofacitinib

https://alopeciaworld.com/main/search/search?q=Tofacitinib

 

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Permalink Reply by Sp06 on October 24, 2015 at 3:07pm
That sounds very promising. Theres so much ahead. Also, what r the benefits of baricitinib over xeljanz besides price? Does it do the same thing as xeljanz?
And how cheap do u think it would be when it comes out? When baricitinib is approved early next year, does that mean it will be available for purchase immediately or will we have to wait longer? Ive looked online abt baricitinib and i cant seem to find too much info on it.
Permalink Reply by singh on October 24, 2015 at 4:11pm
There you go people the baricitnib trial for alopecia.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352396415000638
Permalink Reply by Karen Smith on October 24, 2015 at 5:33pm

Thank you for posting this information. I really believe reliable treatment is coming soon.

Permalink Reply by singh on October 24, 2015 at 6:17pm
Your welcome Karen am hoping 2016 to be a advanced year for Alopecia .
Permalink Reply by Sp06 on October 24, 2015 at 6:17pm
Oh wow thats amazing, i cant wait till march. I havent started xeljanz yet, but i see dr. King early november and will probabaly start soon. Do you think it would be ok to switch from xeljanz to baricitinib with no problems or side effects? Xeljanz is crazy expensive and if baricitinib is effective and cheap, that might just be the way to go.
Permalink Reply by singh on October 24, 2015 at 6:54pm
That's good keep us updated about how it goes with Dr King, still waiting on him to release his results so far.. And am not sure tbh mate i would think it will be just as affective or better hopefully. We just all got to keep a look out and hope FDA approve this. And I would say it should be side effects of switching as xeljanz is stronger but I would reccommend lowering your xeljanz dosage before switching. But am no Dr so you would have to discuss that with Dr King mate .
Permalink Reply by DJ88 on October 25, 2015 at 8:02am

Wait, where are you getting 2016 from? Neither link you posted said anything about a release date.

Permalink Reply by singh on October 25, 2015 at 8:13am
DJ88 educated guess mate as I spoke to my Dermatologist it's what they think . No one is certain on the date but I do know it has sailed through phase 3 and waiting on FDA to approve it now. I doubt it will get approved for alopecia so soon but more for arthritis.
Permalink Reply by 3ebdie on October 25, 2015 at 9:04am

March 2016 would be quite impossible. They haven't even filed it yet at the FDA. Once they file the drug it will take a year or so for the FDA to get to an approval (they have to read through 100's of papers). My estimated guess: filing around December 2015, approval for RA around December 2016/January 2017. For alopecia? Pretty much never. But no sweat as the drug will be cheaper than tofacitinib/Xeljanz and dermatologists can always prescribe it as an off-label drug (like some do now with Xeljanz). However the insurance companies most probably won't cover the costs for it. 

Permalink Reply by singh on October 25, 2015 at 11:05am
Good point mate
Permalink Reply by Sabri on October 25, 2015 at 5:05pm
Just found this intresting read on baricitinib
It looks like it will be before 2021.
It does not say how much it will cost but it says that it's a high price drug.
http://www.bioworld.com/content/upside-surprise-baricitinib-bests-r...
Permalink Reply by Sabri on October 25, 2015 at 6:32pm
Another new drug in stage 2 is filgotinib. It blocks jak 1. It looks like a lot of new jak blockers coming to the market soon.
Hopefully with all the new drugs giving xeljanz competition it may bring the Cost down.

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