Alefacept For Severe Alopecia Areata A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

Objective: To assess the efficacy of alefacept for the treatment of severe alopecia areata (AA).Design: Multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.Setting: Academic departments of dermatology in the United States.Participants: Forty-five individuals with chronic and severe AA affecting 50% to 95% of the scalp hair and resistant to previous therapies.Intervention: Alefacept, a US Food and Drug Administration-approved T-cell biologic inhibitor for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.Main Outcome Measure: Improved Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score over 24 weeks.Results: Participants receiving alefacept for 12 consecutive weeks demonstrated no statistically significant improvement in AA when compared with a well-matched placebo-receiving group (P = .70).Conclusion: Alefacept is ineffective for the treatment of severe AA.