It can be difficult to treat alopecia areata. Fortunately, researchers have found out that a drug called Xeljanz, which is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, may treat alopecia. There was a three-month study that involved 66 patients. The study showed that half of the subjects in the study noticed hair re-growth after three months. One-third of the subjects were able to recover more than half of the hair that they lost.
The subjects only experienced mild side effects. They were given five milligrams of Xeljanz twice a day. The researchers stated that the results of the study are promising. However, they noted that they do not know how long a person will have to take Xeljanz in order to get results. They also do not know how long the hair re-growth will last.