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Study To Evaluate The Efficacy Of Tofacitinib In Patients With SJS/TEN

An Open-Label Pilot Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Tofacitinib in Patients With Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN)

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06474078
Enrollment
20
Registered
2024-06-25
Start date
2022-08-01
Completion date
2025-06-20
Last updated
2025-09-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis

Keywords

JAK/STAT Pathway, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, JAK1/3 inhibitor, Tofacitinib

Brief summary

The goal of this study is to evaluate the effect of tofacitinib in patients with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN). The primary outcome of the study is the time to complete re-epithelialization. The secondary outcomes are to determine mortality, length of hospitalization, adverse events, the time to beginning of epithelization, the time to halting of progression of SJS/TEN, ocular complications, and infections.

Detailed description

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) belong to life-threatening severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions. SJS/TEN is classified by the extent of the detachment over the total body-surface area: SJS (\<10%), SJS-TEN overlap (10%-30%), and TEN (\>30%). TEN has the highest mortality (30-35%); SJS and transitional forms correspond to the same syndrome, but with less extensive skin detachment and a lower mortality (5-15%). Currently, there is still no conclusive effective immunomodulator treatment for SJS/TEN. And, there is still a clinical unmet need for the treatment of SJS/TEN. According to our past research reports, interleukin-15 (IL-15) plays an important role in SJS/TEN, which is related to disease severity and mortality. Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors can inhibit the downstream JAK to inhibit the production and transmission of inflammatory cytokines, as a treatment for severe skin drug hypersensitivity reactions. Tofacitinib, a JAK1/3 inhibitor, is an intervention known to effectively treat several inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ulcerative colitis. Notably, a recent study identified a potential therapeutic target with JAK-STAT pathway in a patient with recalcitrant and refractory drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS). Based the current evidence, a targeting therapy to IL-15 by tofacitinib treatment are suggesting likely to be effective in treating SJS/TEN. This is an open label study, all patients enrolled in the study will receive the active medication; meaning that there will not be a placebo or control group. The aims of this project are (1) to investigate the effect of tofacitinib treatment for SJS/TEN patients, including healing time, mortality rate, adverse events, beginning of re-epithelialization time, internal organ recovery time, and ocular complications, and (2) to investigate the molecular mechanism of SJS/TEN after tofacitinib treatment through collection of timed samples to include DNA, RNA, PBMCs, blister cells and supernatant and skin tissue. The primary outcome of the study is the time to complete re-epithelialization as defined by complete absence of erosion on the skin. The secondary outcomes are to determine the time to beginning of epithelization (defined as the time to start re-epithelialization of the erosions on the skin and mucosa), the time to halting of progression of SJS/TEN (considered significant progression if there are any new blistering lesions or any new detached or detachable skin), mortality, length of hospitalization, ocular complications, infections, and adverse events. The investigators also determine the molecular and cellular mechanisms of SJS/TEN through collection of timed samples to include DNA, RNA, PBMCs, blister cells and supernatant and skin tissue.

Interventions

DRUGTofacitinib

Dosage/Frequency: 5mg - 10mg, oral, twice daily

Sponsors

Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
20 Years to 90 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Willing to sign inform consent form 2. Subject has been diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome or toxic epidermal necrolysis by at least two dermatologists. 3. Male or female aged over 20 years old and under 90 years old.

Exclusion criteria

1. Subject or legally authorized representative is not willing to provide informed consent. 2. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding 3. Subject has an active, untreated, or serious infectious disease that is ineffective in treatment, such as sepsis. 4. Subject suffers from severe life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia, such as ventricular tachycardia, have had myocardial infarction (myocardial infarction), severe hypertension that has not responded to treatment within the past week, or other cardiologist diagnosed severe cardiovascular disease 5. Subject has active viral hepatitis 6. Subject has active tuberculosis 7. Subject received live vaccination during the illness

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Complete Skin Healing Time, Day, Medium [Full Range]daysHealing was defined as complete re-epithelialization (i.e., the complete absence of erosions). We recorded the time taken by the skin to heal.
Complete Skin Healing Time, Day, Mean [Full Range]daysHealing was defined as complete re-epithelialization (i.e., the complete absence of erosions). We recorded the time taken by the skin to heal.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Length of HospitalizationDuration of hospital stay up to 3 monthsLength of hospitalization and Duration of hospitalization days
Mortalityup to 1 yearNumber of participants with mortality at 30 days, 3 months and 1 year. Mortality monitoring is considered for the underlying SJS/TEN disease.

Countries

Taiwan

Participant flow

Recruitment details

SCAR patients were enrolled in the clinical trial from 2022/08/01 to 2025/04/15 at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan.

Pre-assignment details

SJS/TEN (n=20)

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Tofacitinib Treatment
1. Meet the conditions of inclusion and exclusion, seek the consent of the patient 2. Fill out the case report form 3. Blood test and physiological assessment, and do serum granulysin concentration and peripheral blood mononuclear spherical granulysin expression analysis 4. Tofacitinib administration: The experimental group received tofacitinib 5mg-10mg, twice daily, for the first week; and maintained tofacitinib 5mg-10mg, daily, for the second week. Tofacitinib: Dosage/Frequency: 5mg - 10mg, oral, twice daily
20
Total20

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicTofacitinib Treatment
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
5 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
15 Participants
Age, Continuous51.5 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 16.7
Atypical target lesion11 Participants
Blister/erosion14 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
0 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
20 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Fever, >38℃11 Participants
GPT, > 82 U/L6 Participants
Region of Enrollment
Taiwan
20 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
13 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
7 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 20
other
Total, other adverse events
3 / 20
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 20

Outcome results

Primary

Complete Skin Healing Time, Day, Mean [Full Range]

Healing was defined as complete re-epithelialization (i.e., the complete absence of erosions). We recorded the time taken by the skin to heal.

Time frame: days

Population: We determined if the enrolled participants had SJS/TEN using the criteria and histopathological examinations.

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)
Tofacitinib TreatmentComplete Skin Healing Time, Day, Mean [Full Range]10.1 days
Primary

Complete Skin Healing Time, Day, Medium [Full Range]

Healing was defined as complete re-epithelialization (i.e., the complete absence of erosions). We recorded the time taken by the skin to heal.

Time frame: days

Population: We determined if the enrolled participants had SJS/TEN using the criteria and histopathological examinations.

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Tofacitinib TreatmentComplete Skin Healing Time, Day, Medium [Full Range]10.0 days
Secondary

Length of Hospitalization

Length of hospitalization and Duration of hospitalization days

Time frame: Duration of hospital stay up to 3 months

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Tofacitinib TreatmentLength of Hospitalization22.4 daysStandard Deviation 15.6
Secondary

Mortality

Number of participants with mortality at 30 days, 3 months and 1 year. Mortality monitoring is considered for the underlying SJS/TEN disease.

Time frame: up to 1 year

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Tofacitinib TreatmentMortality0 Participants

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026