Concert Pharmaceuticals announced on Monday, May 27, positive topline results of its experimental treatment for the severe form of hair loss called alopecia areata. This autoimmune disease results in patchy or complete scalp hair loss. The recently completed Phase 3 clinical trial evaluated the oral medicine CTP-543 in adult patients with mild to severe alopecia.
The Lexington-based firm is one of the few pharmaceutical companies that are testing experimental treatments for the autoimmune disease that has no available treatment. Concert Pharma's CEO Robert Tung said millions of people in the US are affected by this condition, such as Massachusetts representative Ayanna Pressley and actress Jada Pinkett Smith.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Use to Treat Alopecia Areata
The firm tested its twice-daily pill in a study of about 700 participants with moderate to severe cases of alopecia areata, The Boston Globe reported. Each one of them has lost at least 50% of the hair on their head.
Researchers aim to study hair regrowth on the volunteers for at least 80% of their scalp within 24 weeks. At the end of the experiment, they met their goal for about 29.6% of people given a medium dose and 41.5% who received the high dose of the drug.
Board-certified hair loss surgeon and Yates Enterprises founder Dr. William Yates told Parade that CTP-543 is different from other alopecia treatments. It is a more directed therapy that directly targets the immune system to stop attacking the person's hair. Available alopecia treatments are typically steroid injections or topical steroids that only reduce inflammation.
Before CTP-543, other scientists also tested the rheumatoid arthritis prescription medication baricitinib. The drug is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor that disrupts the ability of the body to communicate cytokines. The research also shows positive results in regrowing hair among people with alopecia areata.
Furthermore, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Pure Dermatology Cosmetic & Hair Center, Dr. Neda Mehr, added that CTP-543 is also a JAK inhibitor that works best against autoimmune diseases. These medications were used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease like alopecia areata, by blocking cytokines that trigger immune cells.
Dr. Mehr also added that autoimmune alopecia benefits the most from CPT-543 because it also works for alopecia areata, alopecia totalis, and alopecia universalis.
Read also: Androgenetic Alopecia: You May Need Psychological, Psychosocial Support If You Have It [Study]
About Alopecia
According to Mayo Clinic, alopecia or hair loss can affect just the scalp or the entire body. It can also be temporary or permanent, depending on its kind. The condition results from various factors, including hereditary, hormonal changes, medical conditions, and a normal part of aging.
Hair loss can come in many different ways, such as gradual thinning on top of the head, circular or patchy bald spots, sudden loosening of hair, full-body hair loss, and scaling patches that spread over the scalp.
Patches due to alopecia areata can connect and become more noticeable after some time. The National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) said that alopecia areata is a very common cause of hair loss that affects nearly 7 million people in the United States of any ethnicity, sex, and age.
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