Improvement in health‐related quality of life and symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with alopecia areata randomized to baricitinib or placebo: Results from two international randomized controlled trials

Abstract Background Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune hair loss disorder associated with high rates of emotional and psychosocial distress. Baricitinib, an oral selective Janus kinase (JAK) 1 and JAK 2 inhibitor, was superior to placebo with respect to hair regrowth in two phase 3 trials involving 1200 adults with severe AA (≥50% of scalp hair loss). Objectives This analysis investigated the evolution of health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) and symptoms of anxiety and depression after treatment with baricitinib in severe AA. Methods Patients were randomized to placebo, baricitinib 2‐mg, or baricitinib 4‐mg. Improvements in HRQoL and psychological burden were measured using Skindex‐16 AA and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS‐A and HADS‐D), respectively. Changes from baseline through Week 36 were analyzed using analysis of covariance with modified last observation carried forward for missing data. Proportion of patients with baseline HADS score ≥8 that shifted to