Failure of alefacept in the treatment of vitiligo

Vitiligo is a common acquired pigmentary disorder with a profound psychosocial impact. The exact pathogenesis of vitiligo is not fully understood; however, vitiligo appears to be an autoimmune disease involving T-cell-mediated melanocyte destruction. Recently, complete clearance of coexisting vitiligo without recurrence over 2 years was reported in 2 psoriasis patients treated with alefacept.

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of alefacept in the treatment of vitiligo.

After providing informed written consent, 4 adult patients with widespread vitiligo (covering a body surface area ≥5%) were treated with weekly intramuscular injections of 15 mg alefacept for 12 weeks. All patients were monitored clinically, by laboratory investigation, and by digital image analysis. All patients were followed up with for 24 weeks.

All patients tolerated alefacept well, without any adverse events. None of the patients showed any repigmentation. However, 1 patient developed new depigmented patches during treatment with alefacept.

A pilot study with a small number of patients.

Alefacept as a monotherapy for vitiligo treatment did not result in any patient improvement, and further evaluation in larger studies may be required.