Breakthrough drug restores more than 90% of lost hair in most patients

The cure for baldness may be already here ? for some people at least.

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers published the results of a promising pilot trial in the Journal of Clinical Investigation/Insight this September. Twelve patients with moderate to severe baldness caused by alopecia areata (AA), an autoimmune disorder where the person?s own cells attack their hair follicles, were given the JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib. As with earlier animal and small human studies, the drug proved to be almost miraculous in its hair-raising powers in whih 75 percent of patients gained more than 90 percent of their lost hair back during the 3 to 6 months of treatment with the drug.

?Although our study was small, it provides crucial evidence that JAK inhibitors may constitute the first effective treatment for people with alopecia areata,? said the study′s lead author Dr. Julian Mackay-Wiggan, an associate professor and director of the clinical research unit in dermatology at CUMC as well as a dermatologist at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, in a statement. ?This is encouraging news for patients who are coping with the physical and emotional effects of this disfiguring autoimmune disease.?

Encouraging as the results are, there are several substantial caveats to make clear. For one, the ?cure? was often temporary. Once people went off the drug, a third began to lose hair again, though not to the same degree as before. In a related study of another JAK inhibitor, tofacitinib, also published in theJournal of Clinical Investigation/Insight this month, was less successful both during and after the trial. Out of 66 subjects with various degrees of AA, including some who lost all hair along their bodies, 32 percent experienced 50 percent or greater improvement from the disease during treatment. But after 8.5 weeks off the drug, everyone had begun to lose some hair.

?Our findings suggest that initial treatment induces a high rate of disease remissions in patients with moderate to severe alopecia areata but maintenance therapy may be needed,? Mackay-Wiggan said.

And while both drugs were tolerated safely by patients with no severe side-effects, they did come with some milder ones. Namely, they weakened the immune system and made people more likely to become sick.

Unfortunately, the biggest sticking point to these treatments is that they may not do anything for the majority of hair loss sufferers. As mentioned earlier, AA, like rheumatoid arthritis, is an autoimmune disorder, which means the mechanism that causes baldness happens in these people is different than what causes the most common kind of baldness ? androgenic alopecia, or male and female pattern baldness. Despite the risk of hair loss post treatment, it would certainly be a great boon to the approximately four million people in America currently suffering from AA.

Along with finding ways to identify early on who will or won?t respond to the treatment, Mackay-Wiggan and her colleagues do plan to test out JAX inhibitors against androgenic alopecia as well as other hair loss conditions in the near future.

We expect JAK inhibitors to have widespread utility across many forms of hair loss based on their mechanism of action in both the hair follicle and immune cells,? said co-author Dr .Angela M. Christiano, a professor of genetics and development and dermatology at Columbia.

A relatively new class of drugs, JAK inhibitors have already been approved to treat bone marrow cancers and rheumatoid arthritis. Time will tell if they may also someday lead to the end of hair loss.

Most Read

★Using Kalonji Seeds for Weight Loss

★Exercise can help boost memory through bone hormone: Study

★10 Healthy Twists on Classic Diner Dishes

★6 Best Oils for a Naturally Clear and Glowing Skin

★Ideal exercises to keep your heart healthy

★Eating cheese does not raise cholesterol, study finds

★5 Tips to Take Care of Your Sensitive Skin

★The health benefits of popular foods

★Vitamin reverses aging in organs and muscles

★The Beauty Benefits of Exercise

★15 Best Heart-Healthy Foods

★12 Benefits of Hair Spa Treatment

★Yoga Poses for People with Less Flexible Body

★10 Most Effective Weight Loss Exercises For Torching Fat

★10 Natural beauty tips for face you must try

★9 Super Simple Exercises to Reduce Belly Fat

★How mood and eating behaviour are connected

★How to Make Elderberry Syrup

★Take care of your coloured hair with Wella

★10 Weight Loss Tips to Make Things Easier (and Faster)

★7 Must-Eat Fermented Foods for a Healthy Gut

★Humans evolved to benefit from fermented foods

★WHO says strawberries may not be so safe for you

★Study finds dramatic weight loss can be achieved WITHOUT counting calories

★Working It Out: The future of work and digital

★7 Filling Foods to Keep Belly Fat at Bay

★Natural Herbal Gummies

★Top 3 Core Exercises While Pregnant

★4 Totally avoidable gym mistakes

★The best effective and natural plants for a good memory

★Cancer risk of breast implants 10 times higher than first feared

★What dangers are hidden in your pillow?

★Women found to appear up to 20 years younger if they stay out of the sun

★Can high heels give you cancer?

★Soda, pizza and salty food up liver disease in kids: Study

★Surgery addict rushed to hospital after his body REJECTED his new nose

★Top 10 Homemade Fruit Packs for Glowing Skin

★Try these 4 simple yoga asanas to gain weight

★Carbohydrates and sugars

★Combat the Cold with Fresh Oregano Tea

★How to Gain Weight in 7 Days to Get Rid of the Skinny You

★5 Reasons Cheese is Actually Good For Your Health

★Making handloom accessible

★Hard work, no pay linked to mental health issues in comedians

★Learn to Do Vinyasa Yoga for Weight Loss

★Whole-body vibration may be as effective as regular exercise

★Is This the Best Diet for Post-Menopausal Women?

★10 Ways To Use Sesame Oil For Beautiful Skin

★Expert reveals the snacks you should eat, according to your body type

★Fresh fruits and veggies arent always healthier than frozen, scientists say


©2025 All rights reserved. shapesnfitness.com