Alopecia Areata (AA) is just one type of hair loss, but like many of the other forms of hair loss, there is no available cure. News from the USA suggests this might not be true for much longer with the promise of a new hair loss treatment for AA on the horizon. We look closer.
Alopecia Areata (AA)
This autoimmune disease sees the immune system attack hair follicles. Commonly it presents as small disc-shaped patches of bare scalp. Although AA can affect any hair-bearing site on the body. It can start at any age, often affecting young people, in both men and women. It can be associated with serious psychological problems including anxiety and depression. Clearly, a new hair loss treatment for AA is desparately required.
There is no cure at present. This means the work of Concert Pharmaceuticals on a potential drug is being watched closely by millions of sufferers around the world.
Concert Pharmaceuticals
Concert is a great example of a new breed of companies. They use their own complex platform to develop drugs aimed at disorders of the immune and central nervous systems. Their main focus is on conditions for which there are no existing treatments.
Work on AA has been encouraged by the FDA. In 2017, the FDA identified 8 diseases that would receive special treatment. The idea was to focus on the needs of patients. To provide treatments for those suffering from conditions that are both unpleasant and currently untreatable. AA was on that list of 8 treatments meaning Concert was able to accelerate their trial process.
New Treatment
CTP-453 was the version of the drug they took to Phase II trials. Presenting their encouraging results at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Annual Congress in Madrid.
For the trial patients were split into four groups, according to dosage. Some received the placebo, while others received doses of either 4mg, 8mg, or 12mg.
As you might expect, the highest dose achieved the best results. 58% of patients achieved a 50% reduction in their SALT score (the benchmark for measuring hair loss). This compared to 9% of patients using the placebo. Even the patients on the 8mg dose reported their condition as improved, or much improved.
HIS Hair Clinic
The Concert results are great news for AA sufferers. That backing from the FDA, in identifying AA on their list of 8 diseases in need of a cure, is important too. The combination of those results and that support will, we hope, bring the drug to market much quicker than might otherwise have been the case.
For their part, Concert looks forward to the next stage of development. Their Chief Development Officer, James V. Cassella, told the EADV, “We look forward to advancing the development of CTP-543 into Phase 3 evaluation next year, as we continue our efforts to bring a new treatment to patients with this serious autoimmune disorder that currently has no approved medication.”
You can see more on the work of Concert Pharmaceuticals by clicking here.
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