From baldness to thick hair. The FDA has approved in the United States the baricitinib, an oral drug produced by Eli Lilly capable of regrowing hair in people with Alopecia Aereata. The autoimmune disease, recently made famous by Will Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett, who suffers from it, causes loss of hair and other body hair, either completely or in patches. To date, there was no effective cure, which is why for many the approval of this drug is the realization of a dream.
80% regrowth after 36 weeks
Il baricitinib is a medicine manufactured by Eli Lilly against rheumatoid arthritis. According to two clinical studies involving 1.200 patients with severe alopecia areata, the drug is able to regrow hair by blocking the immune system’s attack on the hair follicles. The studies were sponsored by Eli Lilly and published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine. The FDA announced that later 36 weeksnearly 40% of the people in the group who took the highest dose their hair is regrown by 80% hair, compared to approximately 23% in the lower dose group and 5% in the placebo group. About 45% of people in the higher dose group also noticed significant regrowth of their brows and lashes.
The cost is $ 2,500 per month
The drug has a cost of almost $ 2,500 per month: for this reason, the approval of the FDA is important because it will allow you to request reimbursements from the insurance: “Access to safe and effective treatment options is essential for the significant number of Americans with severe alopecia – said Kendall Marcus, an FDA official -. Today’s approval will help address a significant unmet need for patients with alopecia areata “
Two other companies, Pfizer and Concert Pharmaceuticals, are conducting research on similar drugs, known as Janus kinase inhibitors (JAK). These medicines are already marketed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, as well as in the treatment of severe Covid-19 in hospitalized adult patients.
What is alopecia areata
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the hair bulb of hair and hair. It can affect one or more parts of the body, including the scalp, face, trunk and extremities, causing hair and hair loss, often in patches. Worldwide, this disease affects 0.2% of people and can occur at any age.