SINGAPORE – The National Skin Centre (NSC) is conducting a study on a drug for vitiligo that is currently available here via special access routes.

For now, ruxolitinib, which is produced by Singapore-based pharmaceutical firm Rxilient, is the only prescription medication approved for treating vitiligo, an autoimmune disorder that results in patches of skin losing their pigment.

Sold under the brand name Opzelura, ruxolitinib was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2022 to treat non-segmental vitiligo in patients who are at least 12 years old.

It was approved for use in Europe in 2023, and in Hong Kong the following year.

It is pending regulatory approvals in Singapore but has been available since July under the Health Science Authority’s (HSA) special access route, by which doctors bring in certain unregistered therapeutic products for use on patients.

NSC deputy director Steven Thng told reporters on Aug 25: “Current studies on the effectiveness of ruxolitinib are conducted mainly on Western populations – hence, experience on the effectiveness of the treatment for the Asian population is lacking. This real-world experience data collection will fill the knowledge gap.”

The drug helps reduce the destruction of melanocytes and restore colour to the skin.

Melanocytes are skin cells that produce melanin, the pigment responsible for skin colour. In vitiligo patients, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks melanocytes.

Two earlier clinical trials, conducted between 2019 and 2021 in the US, found that about one in six patients saw 90 per cent improvement on the face.

Common side effects in patients who used the cream included acne, redness and itching at the application site, as well as cold and headaches. 

From August 2025 to February 2026, NSC aims to recruit between 400 and 500 vitiligo patients for the study.

Patients older than 12 who are keen to participate can either obtain referrals to NSC from polyclinics and Chas clinics, or book an appointment directly with NSC. 

Those seeking information on the special access programme can send a WhatsApp message to 8036-1975 or visit

www.vitiligosupportgroup.com

to find out more.

Other methods used by NSC to treat vitiligo include non-cultured cellular grafting, where a patient’s pigment cells are transplanted onto their vitiligo patches, and phototherapy, where light is used to suppress skin inflammation.

Treatments for vitiligo are important as its impact can go beyond the cosmetic to causing psychological harm, said Prof Thng.

“A father called me in the middle of the night to tell me his son was on the parapet, and he was going to jump (because of his vitiligo),” he said, noting that the patient believed there were no treatments available.

The face and neck are the most common sites of vitiligo, according to a local study.

Vitiligo can also affect the eyes and inner ears, resulting in vision or hearing loss, as these organs also contain melanocytes.

Physical education teacher Chew Wei Yin, 42, was diagnosed by NSC with the condition in November 2024, after she noticed a white patch the size of a 20-cent coin on her neck.

NSC deputy director Steven Thng (right) with his patient, Ms Chew Wei Yin, who was diagnosed with vitiligo in November 2024.

ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI

Over three months, it grew to the size of a human palm, and then more patches appeared.

She was prescribed the ruxolitinib cream in March under HSA’s “named-patient” exemption , which allows doctors to apply for the use of unregistered medicines on specific patients.

Ms Chew, who once layered make-up and concealer to hide the white patche s, now applies ruxolitinib nightly as part of a regimen of treatments that includes twice-weekly phototherapy. The routine helped recover about 40 per cent of her skin’s colour.

“ (The condition) took a toll on my emotional health, because I didn’t want to end up like Michael Jackson and bleach my skin,” she said, referring to the late pop singer, who had the condition.

About 1 per cent of the world’s population has vitiligo, while the rate in Singapore is about seven in every 1,000 people. Some 1 per cent of every 50,000 new patients seen annually at NSC in recent years was diagnosed with the condition.

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