By Bruce Jancin

Topical bimatoprost ophthalmic solution shows promise as a novel treatment for localized, stable vitiligo, a small pilot study suggests.

Patients with recalcitrant sequential or focal vitiligo, especially on the face, responded particularly well to the topical prostaglandin F2-alpha analogue in this small prospective trial with blinded outcome assessment, Dr. Tarun Narang said at the World Congress of Dermatology, held last month in Seoul.

Advantages of this off-label treatment include its low cost, the fact that patients can self-apply it with no requirement for photoexposure, and the minimal side effects, added Dr. Narang of Gian Sagar Medical College in Banur, India.

He reported on 10 patients with localized vitiligo who applied bimatoprost 0.03% ophthalmic solution at a dose of 1 drop per 2 cm2 of affected skin twice daily for 4 months.

Seven of 10 patients showed pronounced repigmentation beginning on average after 2 months of treatment: 3 patients had 100% repigmentation, 3 others had 75%-99% repigmentation, and 1 patient showed 50%-75% repigmentation.

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[Source: Skin & Allergy News]