Work

Treatment priorities and unmet needs according to adults and adolescents with nonsegmental vitiligo in the United States

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVES: Understanding patient priorities in nonsegmental vitiligo is essential for developing therapies that address unmet needs. This study used a modified Outcome-Driven Innovation approach to quantify unmet need by considering patients' perspectives on the importance of, and their satisfaction with, treatment attributes. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 522 patients with nonsegmental vitiligo in the United States quantified the relative importance participants placed on 26 treatment attributes. Participants also rated their satisfaction with how well available treatments performed on those attributes. K-means clustering was used to segment participants based on priorities. RESULTS: Three segments, focusing on efficacy, administration and dosing, or safety, were identified. The two most underserved attributes, identified by >10% of participants as important for which satisfaction was low, were improvement in emotional well-being from repigmentation (15.6% of participants) and access to systemic therapy (15.1% of participants). Participants with ≥5% body surface area affected, including the face, more often identified efficacy and systemic treatment that targets the entire body as unmet needs than did those reporting facial involvement only. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight substantial unmet needs in nonsegmental vitiligo treatment, underscoring the importance of developing systemic therapies that align with patients' priorities to deliver meaningful repigmentation that improves emotional well-being.

Source: Journal of Dermatological Treatment

DOI: 10.1080/09546634.2026.2645479