A controversial ‘miracle cream’ used to treat vitiligo could soon be offered on the NHS.
Vitiligo is an autoimmune skin condition caused by a lack of melanin and results in white patches on areas such as the face and fingers.
Ruxolitinib has been hailed as a wonder drug by some patients because it can return the skin to its natural colour.
Drug regulators at the MHRA are now weighing up whether it should be approved or not in Britain. One sufferer said the drug could be ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’.
But ruxolitinib, branded as Opzelura, is deemed controversial due to its serious potential side effects, such as cancer and blood clots.
A clinical trial of the drug yielded strong results in some people, pictured here is one woman at day one, 233k 24 and week 52 of treatment
Ruxolitinib has been hailed a miracle cream by some as it can return the skin to its natural colour and could be ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’ for sufferers
Opzelura, which costs $2,000 (£1,600) for a single tube, was approved in the US last year.
The drug has an FDA black box warning on its packaging, saying that it can also cause serious infections, immune system problems, low blood cell counts, and increases in cholesterol.
Opzelura must be prescribed by doctors, rather than sold over the counter, as the treatment requires monitoring by medics.
The National Institute for Care and Health Excellence (NICE) is planning assess the risks and benefits of the drug to determine whether the cost of it being provided to patients on the NHS can be justified.
European regulators could also be set to recommend it to people aged 12 and over.
Teacher Joti Gata-Aura, who is Indian, has lived with the condition for 20 years.
She told the BBC that due to her vitiligo, her ‘identity was stripped’ and that she was constantly searching for treatments.
‘People are going through what I went through 20 years ago,’ she said.
‘This could be light at the end of the tunnel for many people.’
The cream is to be applied to un-pigmented spots of the skin twice a day. It is not to be used on more than ten percent of the bodies surface area.
It may take around 24 weeks for the drug to show its effectiveness in many patients. For some it could take up to a year to reach its maximum potential.
The drug showed promise in recently completed Phase 3 clinical trials, which included 600 participants.
Those that used the cream showed visible improvement in the colour of their skin, with half reaching the threshold of successful re-pigmentation after a year.
Vitiligo is caused by the person’s own body attacking melanin-producing cells in the skin, mistaking them for foreign invaders.
The condition affects around one in 100 people in the UK and roughly one in 200 in the US.
About 50 per cent develop their first symptoms before the age of 20, though it’s not clear why.
Model Winnie Harlow, who started developing vitiligo when she was around four years old, told Cosmopolitan last year that it was ‘incredibly isolating as a child’
However, ‘stressful’ events, such as childbirth, exposure to certain chemicals or even cuts to the skin, may trigger it, according to the NHS – there is also a genetic risk.
There is no cure, but some treatments can reverse pigment loss if used early enough.
Model Winnie Harlow, who started developing vitiligo when she was around four years old, told Cosmopolitan last year that it was ‘incredibly isolating as a child.’
‘I vividly recall being in third grade and trying to befriend two girls who would run away from me because their mothers didn’t want them to ‘catch’ what I had, as if I were contagious,’ she said.
However she said she credits her loving family for her confidence and feels her skin has been one of her ‘greatest gifts’.
