JAK inhibitor use tied to increased odds of acne

Exposure to Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors potentially carries an increased likelihood of developing acne, according to a study.

For the study, researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of all published phase II and III placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of JAK inhibitors to examine the risk of acne as an adverse effect of these medications.

Multiple online databases were searched for relevant trials, yielding 25 unique studies for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Together, these studies comprised 10,839 participants (54 percent men).

Pooled data showed that the use of JAK inhibitors was associated with more than threefold greater odds of acne (odds ratio [OR], 3.83, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 2.76–5.32). The association was observed for abrocitinib (OR, 13.47, 95 percent CI, 3.25–55.91), baricitinib (OR, 4.96, 95 percent CI, 2.52–9.78), upadacitinib (OR, 4.79, 95 percent CI, 3.61–6.37), deucravacitinib (OR, 2.64, 95 percent CI, 1.44–4.86), and deuruxolitinib (OR, 3.30, 95 percent CI, 1.22–8.93).

Of note, the risk estimates were pronounced across studies investigating the use of JAK inhibitors for the management of dermatologic versus nondermatologic conditions (OR, 4.67, 95 percent CI, 3.10–7.05), as well as for JAK1-specific inhibitors (OR, 4.69, 95 percent CI, 3.56–6.18), combined JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitors (OR, 3.43, 95 percent CI, 2.14–5.49), and tyrosine kinase 2 inhibitors (OR, 2.64, 95 percent CI, 1.44–4.86).

The findings underscore the importance of properly counselling patients on the potential adverse effect of JAK inhibitors before treatment initiation. More studies are required to clarify the pathophysiology of this association.