There is a new ray of hope for patients suffering from circular hair loss alopecia. The FDA has announced that Eli Lilly’s drug Olumiant has been approved for use in the United States. The active ingredient baricitinib has already been used successfully in the treatment of corona patients.
The autoimmune disease was recently brought to the fore by the case of American actress Jada Pinkett Smith. Her husband Will Smith slammed comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars for a joke about his wife’s balding head. The film academy banned him from events for ten years.
Works on the whole body
However, for Smith and many other patients, relief should come soon: The FDA has now approved the use of Eli Lilly’s Olumiant. It is the first-ever approval in the United States for a hair loss drug that affects the entire body.
The active substance regulates inflammatory reactions and has so far been approved for the treatment of arthritis and corona patients in hospitals.
At least 80% of the hair comes back
The disease is not that rare – more than 300,000 people are affected each year in the US alone. The now-approved tablets have been tested for more than six months in two studies involving patients who have lost at least 50 percent of their hair, the FDA wrote.
The measure of the drug’s effectiveness was the number of patients who regained at least 80 percent of their hair coverage by the 36th week. In comparison: in the group with the lower dose this was only 23 percent, in the control group only five percent.
Not without side effects
The most common side effects of baricitinib were upper respiratory tract infections, headache, acne, high cholesterol, and elevations in an enzyme called creatine phosphokinase. There are other treatments for severe hair loss, but these are considered experimental and not approved in the United States.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
