NEW PILL RESTORES ALOPECIA HAIR LOSS
FOLKS left bald by the disfiguring disease alopecia areata — such as actress Jada Pinkett Smith — may soon be able to pop a pill to regrow their crowning glory!
A recent trial conducted by researchers at Yale University found Concert Pharmaceuticals’ CTP-543 caused about 42 percent of patients to reclaim nearly 80 percent of their scalp coverage.
Even more encouraging, the scientists say after taking the pill twice a day for 24 weeks, 40 percent of participants sprouted a nearly full head of hair!
More than 200,000 Americans are diagnosed annually with the disorder, in which
the body’s immune system attacks hair follicles. There is currently no FDA-approved treatment.
Those behind the study stress the experimental therapy is designed only to address alopecia areata — not the more common androgenic alopecia, a type of hereditary hair loss that worsens with age.
The most recent CTP543 research recruited 706 adults with alopecia areata aged 18 to 65. On average, the participants had just 16 percent of their strands at the start of trial.
Patients consuming 8mg and 12mg doses of the drug — which inhibits Janus kinases enzymes responsible for inflammatory immune responses
— saw significant hair regrowth compared to a placebo group. The higher strength also appeared to yield the greatest results.
Study lead Dr. Brett King, a dermatologist at Yale University, calls his team’s findings “an important milestone.”
Concert Pharmaceuticals is planning an additional trial. If the results are positive, the company anticipates applying for FDA approval for CTP-543 next year.