Following up a story we have been covering for a while, we bring news of another important step on the road to a brand new FDA approved hair loss treatment.
Pfizer
With a turnover of over $2.5B one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer, haw been actively engaged in work on what has become known as JAK inhibitors. A form of treatment that interrupts a key messaging gateway which, if left unattended, is understood to negatively affect the ability of follicles to move out of the resting phase… and leaves the owner of those follicles with progressive and untreatable hair loss.
Their research was awarded “breakthrough therapy” designation from the FDA, a rare and important designation that highlighted the importance of the work. Back in September, we reported that their Phase 2A trials had gone well and that Pfizer now planned to move on to human trials… a new announcement from the company has finally put some flesh on the bones of those plans.
Phase 3 Trial
The drug, with the catchy name PF-06651600, is aimed at sufferers of moderate to severe alopecia areata, that distressing disease which typically leaves the sufferer with coin-sized discs of hair loss… though there are more aggressive versions that can see much more hair lost.
Pfizer has embarked on a randomized, double-blind, dose-ranging trial and are actively recruiting approximately 660 patients for the study. The man in charge of these things, Michael Corbo, Chief Development Officer, said “Including our JAK3 programme, Pfizer has several selective kinase programmes in the clinic with studies spanning across rheumatology, gastrointestinal disorders, and medical dermatology, where we aspire to deliver potentially transformative medicines to those living with chronic autoimmune and inflammatory conditions.”
PF-006651600 is an oral drug, the same drug is also being investigated for its efficacy in treating other conditions. Rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis… all of which are withering conditions that lead to true suffering and for which there are no meaningful treatments currently available.
HIS Hair Clinic
The breakthrough therapy designation for PF-006651600 was important. No doubt it was fuelled by the same drug’s anticipated use for Crohn’s and arthritis, miserable conditions with a lot of associated pain. It seems unlikely a treatment for alopecia would have received the same consideration. We sincerely hope that it works wonderfully for all the conditions it is being tested for.
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