Findings of a new study have shown that an FDA-approved drug for treating rheumatoid arthritis may help individuals suffering from vitiligo. The results of the study hold promise of another way of combatting the skin condition.

Vitiligo, an autoimmune disorder, causes affected individuals to lose their skin pigments in blotches with the range and rate of the color loss being unpredictable. Besides the skin, the condition also affects other parts of the body such as the hair, the inside of the mouth and the eyes.

The color of the skin, hair and eyes are normally determined by melanin and vitiligo occurs when the cells responsible for the production of melanin known as melanocytes stop functioning.

While the condition is not painful or life threatening, it often causes serious distress to those affected. The late pop star Michael Jackson is known to have suffered from this disfiguring condition.

No cure is currently available to treat vitiligo and treatment options that aim to control the condition such as steroids and light therapy do not often work.

For the study published in in JAMA Dermatology on June 24, Brett King, from Yale University, and colleagues administered the drug to a female patient who suffers from prominent vitiligo for  more than a year. After two months, the 53-year old patient started to regain pigment in her body that were affected by the condition. In just five months, almost all of the spots associated with vitiligo were gone.

The drug used was tofacitinib, which is often used as treatment for moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory disorder that affects the lining of the joints. Tofacitinib belongs to a family of drugs called Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors.

"While it's one case, we anticipated the successful treatment of this patient based on our current understanding of the disease and how the drug works," said King.

Experts, however, warned that while the result of the study was promising, it is still too early for vitiligo sufferers to demand for the the drug from their doctors.

British Skin Foundation spokesperson David Gawkrodge  said that JAK inhibitors are still being assessed and these drugs may have significant side effects.

"The drugs may well be a pointer to how vitiligo will be managed in the future, but further evaluation by dermatologists, the pharmaceutical industry and regulators is needed," Gawkrodger said.