Many MindedDaily vitiligo pill meets its goal in two large trials, but most patients fall short
Nature Medicine published the 52-week primary results of two parallel phase 3 trials, STOP-V1 and STOP-V2, on 2 November 2026. They tested povorcitinib, an oral, highly selective JAK1 inhibitor from Incyte, at 30 mg once daily against placebo. The trials were randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled, and enrolled adults with moderate-to-severe nonsegmental vitiligo: 467 patients in STOP-V1 and 449 in STOP-V2.
The primary endpoint was at least 75% improvement in the facial Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (F-VASI75) at week 52. Both trials met it. In STOP-V1, 18.9% on povorcitinib reached it versus 6.8% on placebo. In STOP-V2 the figures were 18.9% versus 3.1%. Any adverse event occurred in 68.7% and 66.7% of treated patients versus 63.7% and 62.7% on placebo. Acne was the clearest difference, at 10.7% and 10.8% versus 3.0% and 2.2%. Serious events were generally single occurrences, and JAK-inhibitor class-specific events were absent or rare.
Why it matters: the first approved repigmentation treatment, ruxolitinib cream, is for patients aged 12 and over with affected area up to 10% of body surface. A pill is a different route. It could reach people for whom creams and phototherapy are burdensome or inadequate, though these trials do not show that on their own.
The caveats are real. Only about one in five treated patients hit the F-VASI75 target. The 30 mg dose came from exposure–response modeling after a phase 2 study of 15, 45 and 75 mg showed no clear dose–response, not from a phase 3 dose comparison. The description of the drug as well tolerated is the authors' own conclusion, and Incyte-affiliated authors are among them. We saw only the abstract and introduction. Watch for regulatory filings and any data on cost and access. The trials are registered as NCT06113445 and NCT06113471.
Source: Nature Medicine