There are no effective treatments for GA. Systemic corticosteroids can be effective in temporarily controlling GA; however, GA patients are almost never treated with systemic steroids due to the myriad potential adverse effects of this drug class and its transient effect on disease control. Intralesional (intradermal) steroid injections can be effective in patients with localized GA but are not really an option for patients with BSA > 1-2%, require frequent clinic visits for injection, are painful, and also only transiently control disease. A variety of other treatment approaches have been described and include: antibiotics (minocycline, doxycycline, others), hydroxychloroquine, phototherapy, tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, among others. However, these therapies are rarely effective. GA is notoriously recalcitrant to treatment.~With no FDA approved therapies for GA and current approaches being broadly ineffective; there is a large unmet need for an effective treatment. Likely in part because of under recognition, GA is designated as a rare disease by the National Organization for Rare Disorders. Progress in the treatment of GA has been impaired by a poor understanding of disease pathogenesis. Not only will this study allow for greater clarity regarding the pathogenesis of GA, but an oral treatment option for patients that is easier to administer compared to other therapies (such as injections) and with less potential systemic side effects.
The primary objective is to determine if JAK1 specific inhibition is effective in treating granuloma annulare (GA), a problematic inflammatory skin disease without an FDA approved treatment. The primary outcome will be the percentage change in the body surface area (BSA) involvement by GA after 6 months of treatment with abrocitinib 200 mg daily in 10 patients with moderate to severe GA affecting at least 5% body surface area (BSA).