Alopecia can vary in severity from case to case, but for some it may be life-altering a complete loss of body hair, including eyelashes, eyebrows, even nose hair and ear hair.
Until recently, for those with alopecia areata there was no treatment for hair regrowth.
But on Monday, the US Food and Drug Administration approved baristinib, a drug made by Eli Lilly that grows hair by preventing the immune system from attacking hair follicles, according to a report in the New York Times.
Similar drugs
Two companies, Pfizer and Concert Pharmaceuticals, also go closely with similar drugs known as inhibitors. The drugs are already on the market to treat arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.
The report added that the approval of the Food and Drug Administration is important for the insurance coverage of these expensive drugs, which cost about $2,500 per month.
Hair grows fully
Lilly’s drug was studied in two trials, sponsored by the company and published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine, that included 1,200 patients with severe alopecia areata. Nearly 40 percent of those who took the drug had fully or nearly complete hair regrowth after 36 weeks, and after a year nearly half of the patients had regained their hair.
“He’s optimistic that the success rate of the drugs will improve,” said Dr. Brett King, a professor of dermatology at Yale University and the principal investigator on Lilly’s two trials who also leads the company-sponsored trials. In the market, patients who do not respond to one company’s drug may respond to one of the other drugs.”
Mild side effects
Patients in Lilly’s study experienced relatively mild side effects, including a slight increase in acne, urinary tract infections and other infections, and these side effects were easily treated or improved without treatment.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, more than 300,000 Americans have alopecia areata severe.