2017: A Look Ahead

January 11, 2017 /

I’ve got a good feeling about 2017…

For the past several years we have been pacified by the news of a research study or startup company working on a treatment that grows hair. Ultimately, we would prefer the treatment in our hands, but reading about it on a computer screen has been supportive as well. It’s something we can think of throughout the day or in a quiet moment which helps to release a little more serotonin in the brain. However, the time has to come for a treatment to be made available for us all and I believe that 2017 is going to be that year. This will mostly take place in the cosmetic market, but the treatments should be worthwhile.

For Starters…

  • You knew it was coming on this list. The acclaimed, enigmatic, and exceptionally Italian: Brotzu Lotion. As of January 2017, the product is reportedly still in clinical trial. Once the trial is finished Fidia Pharma will decide how to move forward with the product. There are tons of reasons to believe that this product will be a great success as far as cosmetic treatments go. One question that supports that belief is: how many products/research studies have been acquired by pharmaceutical companies and put through human trials in the past 10 years? If you’re new to the subject you may read more on the back story of the Brotzu Lotion by reviewing these articles.
    *Update* Fidia Pharma has finally released an official communication on their website about the Brotzu Lotion. The news was a bit of a curveball. Fidia has targeted 2018 as a release date for this lotion. While this is unexpected news (many thought the lotion would be available in 2017) the fact that this product exists in the first place is still reason for cheer.
  • Turkish Delight. The stem-cell derived cosmetic cream which was actually slated to be released last year at this time: Kelopesia. The research that led to this product was done at Yeditepe University and was lead by Dr. Fikrettin Sahin. And yes, this is the cream that involves using cellular derivatives from newborn foreskins. Why is that, might you ask? Well, the cells that are extracted from the newborn foreskins are still in a state where they are very potent for growth and tissue generation. Let’s just leave it at that for now (laughs) and celebrate this potential breakthrough. This product should be released in Turkey within the first Q2017. Keep your eyes peeled on Ebay.
  • As of now Kelopesia is set for release in 2017. However, there is always the possibility for one of these

    The Wild Cards of 2017

    ‘Wild cards’ are products that emerge all of the sudden, show good promise, and are said to be made available shortly after their announcement. Stay tuned everyone 🙂

Clinical Players

2017 will be a great year for hair growth cosmetic products. On the clinical side of things, it is somewhat of an ‘in-betweener’ year. Most of the highly anticipated therapies, including Shiseido and Tsuji/Organ Technologies, will still be in a trial process or R&D phase all the way through 2017. However, we will be getting trial results from many treatments. The trial results do give us valuable information about how the treatments are shaping up and they are necessary for the treatments to move forward. Here’s the most significant clinical trials for hair growth that will be taking place in 2017:

  • I was surprised to see them in this spot myself, but here they are. Follica is set to begin a phase 3 clinical trial in 2017. Or, maybe they already have begun this trial. Follica is kind of like the “Carmen Sandiego” of hair growth companies so no one really knows except for them. We know the phase 3 trial will happen in 2017. Pending results, this trial can lead to FDA approval for Follica. If all goes well Follica is aiming to put their micro wounding + compounds treatment for hair growth on the market in 2018. The treatment is now being titled as “RAIN” according to PureTech’s pipeline page. Does anyone know what the acronym stands for yet? My guess is “rejuvenate and induce neogenesis.”
  • It’s electric. HairCell, the surprising company that was incepted by Howard Leonhardt in 2016 will be initiating its human pilot study in early 2017. The treatment involves wearing a bioelectric device on your head with stimulators that send signals to the cells of your body to repair and regenerate itself. This cap is also coupled with a micro-pump containing electro-acupuncture needles that inject stem cells/growth factors into the scalp. The entire concept is highly unique and advanced and I am a big fan. I look forward to hearing more about this human pilot study.
  • Getting set. Results from the setipiprant phase 2a trial. More hair follicle research stemming from the work of Dr. George Cotsarelis, setipiprant is an oral medication that is intended to halt hair loss and thicken existing hair. The drug is a prostaglandin D2 receptor antagonist and was originally developed for inflammatory conditions such as asthma. However, when Dr. Cotsarelis found that the PGD2 receptor plays a significant role in hair growth, he patented that use and suddenly PGD2r drugs that were shelved became useful again. Kythera Biophrama decided to take a crack at it and licensed the use of setipiprant to treat hair loss. Because of the drug’s previous clinical trial involvement Kythera was allowed to start setipiprant at a phase IIa trial for androgenic alopecia. Since the time Kythera began this development of setipiprant their company was acquired by Allergan. This trial is set to complete in September 2017 and will compare results from setipiprant alongside finasteride to gauge its effectiveness. I find that comparison interesting.
  • The dynamic duo. Allergan is also anticipating the phase I results of their new and improved bimatoprost formula for the scalp. Bimatoprost was originally developed for glaucoma and later used to enhance eyelash growth. If it can grow eyelashes then it can probably grow hair, right? Right. Apparently, the bimatoprost scalp formula has recently been enhanced to promote even greater hair growth and hence they have begun another phase I trial. This trial should bear results sometime after October 2017.
  • Just maybe. Last year it seemed likely that right about now Histogen would be gearing up for the 2017 market release of its Hair Stimulating Complex in Mexico. Lately, the company has been quiet about the potential of releasing HSC in Mexico. The HSC treatment still needs to go through a phase 3 trial for approval in Mexico, and if Histogen plans to release the product in 2017, that trial would have to begin very shortly. We know Histogen made some notable business developments in China in the 2nd half of 2016, if they will do the same in Mexico still remains to be seen. Veremos.
  • River of Hope. RiverTown Therapeutics Inc. is hoping to push forward with their phase 1b/2a trial this year. Getting the trial in place only depends on the company raising the necessary funds to finance the trial. RT1640 is RiverTown’s lead candidate for hair regeneration. The drug is composed of three agents: minoxidil, cyclosporine A, and a novel molecule called RT175. The RT175 molecule is said to promote the growth and migration of stem cells to the hair follicle, which multiplies the effects of both minoxidil and cyclosporine A, resulting in hair follicle regeneration. The company has previously shared some impressive photographs on Follicle Thought displaying what RT1640 is capable of. Keep in mind these results came from a very small number of subjects who used the treatment for a short period of time. The potential is big here. Let’s see something great develop for RT in 2017.
  • A clone like no other. HairClone of the UK is taking a unique approach to bring a next generation hair growth treatment to market. They are marketing the treatment to work in conjunction with hair transplants, they are utilizing crowd funding, and they are taking advantage of an innovative opportunity to get this treatment to patients very quickly. The most important factor here is that through a special medical designation in the UK known as “Specials”, HairClone will be able to make their treatment available to patients prior to going through a clinical trial process. Under the guidelines of Specials, a doctor in the UK will have the discretion to prescribe a treatment like HairClone for an unmet medical need; in this case it would be hair loss. If HairClone secures the funding to move things forward they can begin administering cellular treatments to patients in the year 2017!

New Players

One of the greatest things about turning a new year: the announcement of new companies. Last year was fruitful in this category and I expect 2017 to be even more exciting. Most of the new companies that we will see emerge in 2017 will come from names that we are familiar with. Here’s what to look for on the horizon in 2017:

  • Rapunzel. You’ve heard it mentioned here before. Rapunzel is the latest startup company of Angela Christiano that seeks to bring an injectable cellular treatment (using 3D cultured cells) to the clinical setting. Anyone who spends a bit of time reading up on hair follicle research knows that Angela Christiano is about the biggest name in the hair research industry. She has studied gene therapy, JAK inhibitors, cell culturing, and other areas of hair biology. The only other researcher who has probably spent more time studying the 3D culturing of hair cells would be Dr. Colin Jahoda. And oh, guess what? Colin Jahoda is teaming up with Christiano for Rapunzel. Booya.
  • Tissuse. The German biotech company which is a spinout of the Technical University of Berlin is finally moving forward with its hair follicle multiplication work. This is evident from Tissuse’s recently updated website displaying a page for “Smart Hair Transplants.” The entire treatment process of SHT is not yet described on their website, though it does mention “extracting 30 hair follicles (via FUE) from the donor scalp to create 10,000 neopapillae (baby hair follicles).” This just sounds incredible to hear, my imagination runs wild with possibilities. Man, is it just me or is the hair industry getting so big it’s not that easy to remember all of them now? It’s certainly a welcomed situation that we are at.

Let me thank you all for your support and being readers of the site. It is great to hear positive feedback from those of you who take a moment to share a few words on the site. As you can see, the hair growth treatment landscape is really turning into something that we all hoped it would for so long. Here’s to an amazing 2017 and hair growth success for the world. Cheers

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70 Comments

  1. Kim on January 12, 2017 at 6:57 am

    Brotzu lotion will not coming out until 2018. I was heard Research about lotion will last 2018.
    brotzu was my last hope but now so disappoint



    • manisha on February 20, 2017 at 10:03 am

      Is any hope for the reversing of grey hair too. I am a 35 Years old female and have grey hairs from very young age. Now lots of my hairs are grey. is there any hope for the treatment of of grey hair treatment available in follical technology.



      • Follicle Thought on February 20, 2017 at 10:47 am

        I’m not sure of anything coming out this year, but will post news when I hear of something.



  2. Momogee on January 12, 2017 at 8:14 am

    Hi Admin,

    Hopes and expectation for Q1 release of Fidia’s Lotion (Brotzu) has basically plummeted.

    http://www.fidiapharma.com/en/news/prof-brotzu-s-hair-loss-remedy,3,115

    The link above shows the latest official statement coming from Fidia themselves.

    “For this reason, neither exact launch plans nor time-to-market priorities have been defined for the product yet, although we envisage the development of the potential product candidate being completed by 2018.”

    The above indicates a 2018 release date of 2018.



    • Follicle Thought on January 12, 2017 at 3:04 pm

      Thank you very much for sharing, I have updated the article.



  3. Robert on January 12, 2017 at 8:31 am

    Thank you so much for collating and explaining concisely what is out there.

    As you say big hopes for 2017



  4. Max on January 12, 2017 at 9:48 am

    Thank you!



    • Follicle Thought on January 12, 2017 at 3:03 pm

      You’re welcome Max.



  5. pjotr on January 12, 2017 at 11:39 am

    Hi Admin,
    Is this sure: “Now, we look forward to that magical golden press release that should be coming from Fidia within the next two months. “?

    Reactions on the HLT website mentioned next year (2018), is that true?



    • Follicle Thought on January 12, 2017 at 2:50 pm

      Yes Pjotr, I just read the press release from Fidia. 2018 is apparently the expected date. Let’s keep hopes for Kelopesia.



  6. tzt on January 12, 2017 at 11:41 am

    admin did you see the news coming from the FIDIA website about Brotzu lotion ?

    http://www.fidiapharma.com/en/news/prof-brotzu-s-hair-loss-remedy,3,115

    they are talking about 2018 :'(



    • Follicle Thought on January 12, 2017 at 3:03 pm

      Thanks for sharing, very appreciated. It was unexpected news, but it is still something to look forward to.



      • Alf on January 22, 2017 at 2:51 am

        Maybe just me but I read “completed by 2018” as meaning 2018 at the latest. ie sometime in 2017. Does anyone else read it like that or is it just me being hopeful?



        • Follicle Thought on January 22, 2017 at 11:08 am

          Good point Alf. I could see that being a possibility.



  7. Javier on January 12, 2017 at 1:33 pm

    Thanks dude for all your work, i don’t need to visit another website, your posts are always full of interesting information and full of hopes for us.
    Your web help me when I start with this and I was very depress for that, but reading your posts gave me a huge smile and now a know that I only have to wait. Thanks.

    Greetings from Chile (:



    • Follicle Thought on January 12, 2017 at 3:02 pm

      Thank you my friend!



  8. Matias on January 12, 2017 at 2:35 pm

    how do you manage to gather all this info man! ur the gratest …thanx very much for keeping our hopes high! greeting from Chile 🙂 ’17 is the year !



    • Follicle Thought on January 12, 2017 at 3:01 pm

      Thank you!



  9. guest on January 12, 2017 at 6:05 pm

    Admin, did you watch the updates from Aclaris? http://www.aclaristx.com/press-releases



    • Follicle Thought on January 12, 2017 at 7:00 pm

      Thanks for sharing! I did take a look. The program for alopecia areata seems to be rolling along nicely, still in pre-clinical for AGA.



  10. dave on January 13, 2017 at 12:14 am

    what about follicum



    • Follicle Thought on January 13, 2017 at 2:05 am

      Follicum is still great, I just know that they mentioned that they expect their first clinical trial to demonstrate hair inhibition so I want to wait and see more before I put them on the big board for 2017.



  11. guest on January 13, 2017 at 1:52 am

    Do you have chance to get updates from BiologicsMD, admin? Their work seemed very interesting, but they went very silent since Jan 2016.



    • Follicle Thought on January 13, 2017 at 2:03 am

      I know they are raising funds to start a clinical trial. That is an important step for them to move forward and things will most likely be quiet until they do so. I’ll keep an eye out.



  12. Craig on January 13, 2017 at 2:06 am

    I just need to go buy a gun and end it all ,my whole life has been a let down due to hair loss and all these people do is get hope up and then let us down all the time . It has made me old before my time and also very ill at times It just needs to end sorry but can’t take the let downs all the time.



    • Follicle Thought on January 13, 2017 at 2:13 am

      Craig everyone is doing their best man, hang in there. Family and friends are really what’s most important in life, the hair will come.



    • Jay McCallister on April 21, 2017 at 7:58 pm

      I also felt like that once and I was young and in despair. I don’t know what happened but I became absolutely determined that it would NOT ruin my life, (and it has not) and I soon became an expert and “owned” my condition–and that was over 40 years ago. I could never have imagined that there are those that think shaved, thin hair, or being bald is sexy — but there IS–and it IS!! You have several solutions available to you including cosmetic ones.



  13. Chris2 on January 13, 2017 at 3:53 am

    Happy belated New Years Joseph. Not sure ,maybe you forgot about it but I want to give a shoutout to Samumed. These guys have broken a rats spine and cured him, they grew cartlidge where there was none. My money is on them. Maybe with the 21century act the can speed through phase 3 . Keep the positive vibes going boss and as always thanks. P.S. do you know something about a new wild card your not saying, just curious



    • Follicle Thought on January 13, 2017 at 5:32 pm

      Happy New Years Chris and thanks for the comments and support! I, too, would love to see Samumed in a phase 3 this year.



  14. Matt on January 13, 2017 at 7:04 am

    Thanks for the encouraging update. I was hoping to start using the Brotzu lotion. Oh Well! The future is looking brighter for everyone. I just wish we had better available options. Hearing about a game changing break-through in 2017 would be awesome.



    • Follicle Thought on January 13, 2017 at 5:30 pm

      You’re welcome Matt, thanks for the support.



  15. 2Cents on January 13, 2017 at 4:09 pm

    Very encouraging to see everything listed all together like this.

    What about Replicel/Shiseido? I thought they were having a presentation sometime soon.

    Also apparently a message from Riken/Tsuji is floating around saying they’re on track for trials in 2018 and release in 2020. But who knows how legit it is.



  16. Dani on January 13, 2017 at 6:21 pm

    I was looking forward to Brotzu’s lotion, but this is it. I hope to hold on my follicles alive by then. Just curious, what’s your current regimen?

    I really appreciate that your great effort to keep us all informed. You’re too kind. Many thanks and greetings from Spain!



  17. Jaytro on January 17, 2017 at 10:33 am

    Hairclone needs money? I know multimillionaires well past the hundreds that would support them. But they say nothing about administering treatment in 2017 – they say they can take and cryo preserve your follicles and maybe in 5 years enter phase 1 … big difference right?

    If they could clone follicles and implant them BACK in same year 2017 given the american patient is in england I can connect them to big big money.



    • Follicle Thought on January 18, 2017 at 1:25 am

      Jaytro, I tried to email you but the address you entered in the comment is bouncing back. Please re-enter it on a new comment or use contact page and I will get in touch.



  18. Rx on January 17, 2017 at 10:58 am

    somebody please contact Histogen.
    they are going out of the big picture now because of their silence.
    they should know that updates are important.



    • Follicle Thought on January 19, 2017 at 8:46 pm

      They will share an update when there is one.



  19. John Daza on January 22, 2017 at 1:47 pm

    Anyone knows why replicel shut down their website? It’s been from last 2 days, hope they’re not out of business….



    • Follicle Thought on January 22, 2017 at 10:31 pm

      It is a bit strange. However, with all of their success with the tendon regeneration treatments I am fairly confident that things are well. Possibly just redoing their site.



      • Rx on January 23, 2017 at 1:54 pm

        replicel’s site is back online



        • Follicle Thought on January 23, 2017 at 3:08 pm

          Thanks!



  20. Louis Samuels on January 22, 2017 at 2:31 pm

    Thousands of men and women are claiming a new effective treatment for androgenetic alopecia! What’s going on? I do not understand anything! It would be an absolute success! I do not understand… why a treatment is not already released!? Tomorrow, a new treatment for androgenetic alopecia should be released. It is not very difficult to know that. People really WANT a NEW TREATMENT FOR MPB.



    • Follicle Thought on January 22, 2017 at 10:29 pm

      Louis, yes many people want a treatment. The reason for the wait is because of the time for research and development and also the regulatory time of going through clinical trials. It will be soon for Kelopesia.



  21. Hope on January 27, 2017 at 6:14 am

    Has anyone heard anything more on Kelopesia? When it’s being released or how we’ll be able to get in North America?



  22. emily on January 29, 2017 at 8:01 am

    My only concern regarding Kelo is that we have not seen ANY picture (aside from 1 or 2 not showing much) pertaining to any result or the extent of such result we could be reasonably expecting.

    If they are launching the product, then they must have pictured tests.



  23. John on February 1, 2017 at 1:53 pm

    Any update about Replicel? How do we know that Shiseido has started the trial and if things are still positive or not?



    • Follicle Thought on February 1, 2017 at 2:16 pm

      Hi John,

      The trial has started a Replicel exec has mentioned this online. We don’t know if things are positive until the end of the trial. Keep a positive outlook buddy.

      Thanks



  24. Chris2 on February 1, 2017 at 10:21 pm

    Hey Joeseph looking forward to your next article, hopefully soon. When I read your positive twists I get the warm fuzzies knowing that help is around the corner. It’s been a while, but I think we need another wild card here soon.



    • Follicle Thought on February 1, 2017 at 10:36 pm

      I appreciate it brother. Will do my best to get something out to you all soon. Don’t forget man, Kelopesia soon and so many companies on the list as you know. Many reasons for gratitude. Thanks again



  25. bikram on February 3, 2017 at 1:11 am

    kelopesia where is it, or it has vanished.



    • Follicle Thought on February 3, 2017 at 9:51 am

      Hi Bikram,

      Thanks for commenting. The articles say early 2017. There’s still about 2 months left for 1st quarter 2017.



  26. Mohamed Panju on February 4, 2017 at 12:25 pm

    I would like to be hopeful for Kelopesia but what amazes me is that there is no data that has been released on the efficacy of this product and yet it is supposed to be on the market soon. At least with treatments like RCH-01 and HSC we have data on which to base our expectations. Maybe we can ask Dr. Şahin why this is so, surely as an academic he would know how fundamental this is?



  27. emily on February 16, 2017 at 5:19 pm

    Half the time has been consumed already (till 31st March they said…) tic tac tic tac…



    • Follicle Thought on February 16, 2017 at 5:21 pm

      🙂



  28. Losingit on February 19, 2017 at 4:08 am

    Great article! I must say I was so excited about kelopesia to begin with it would solve all my hair loss problems. However it’s late feb and there has not been any updates from the university or any of the blogs. I think it’s safe to doubt this product coming out at all first quarter as expected. I think it’s poor that the uni doesn’t even bother to keep us updated on the progress or if there will be delays.



    • Follicle Thought on February 19, 2017 at 10:24 am

      Thanks friend. Give them a chance.



  29. cody on February 28, 2017 at 12:05 pm

    Where is the website for kelopesia? Can we start writing them asking about purchasing?



    • Follicle Thought on February 28, 2017 at 4:02 pm

      The website is to be announced.



  30. Muhammed Adil on April 25, 2017 at 11:19 am

    Any update on Kelopesia release ???



    • Follicle Thought on April 25, 2017 at 11:23 am

      Yes, recent Kelopesia article has new update as of yesterday.



  31. mpanju on May 3, 2017 at 11:41 pm

    Just curious about the progress of River Town Therapeutics… Reversing grey hairs would be awesome too, any idea when we’d receive an update from them, it’s been quiet since they won their award last year.



  32. Matias on May 4, 2017 at 6:50 pm

    My entire life from teens onward I was told I looked young for my age. My hair started thinning on the crown in my mid 20’s but was able to cover it easily by styling combined with stuff like Toppik keratin powder.

    By my late 20’s I “invented” the “man-bun” which was really just a way to comb back my fully intact frontal hair to conceal the thinning on the crown while keeping the hair in place with a hair tie. This worked great for years, but as anyone who has had a ponytail knows it can be devastating to the frontal hairline as it is a constant pull on the hair.

    I finally shaved it all off 3 years ago and instantly aged 10 years! I went from being carded for alcohol and occasionally even tobacco to looking older than my 32 years. I hate the “landing pad” on the top of my scalp and after 3 years of chrome-dome baldness I still am not comfortable with it. My closet is full of hats, caps, skullies, sombreros and even turbans (!!!).

    I’ve considered the FUE but have been holding out hope that a topical regrowth cream will miraculously appear on the market and give me my hair back without poking holes in my head. Articles touting “a cure for baldness” have been circulating for as long as I can remember, yet nothing ever materializes! I’d like to get my hair back while I’m still in my 30’s but I’m convinced it’s just not going to happen.

    Love your website and it seems a breakthrough is not out of the question, but I’m beginning to lose hope here.



  33. Jaime on May 10, 2017 at 5:38 am

    Exellent work thanks bery much !!!!



  34. ricardo lemos on June 5, 2017 at 3:03 pm

    Eu fico com muita esperança em que chegue um dia que não exista mais careca, so vai existir careca quem queira ficar, menos eu……



  35. eli on June 27, 2017 at 9:08 am

    im so depressed about my hair i found this site,,, any news of something to do let me know



    • Follicle Thought on June 27, 2017 at 10:12 am

      Thank you Eli, many people are trying the new product ReBoost and we will have feedback from these people over the next 3-4 months.



  36. Michael on June 28, 2017 at 8:50 am

    Does anybody knows if follicle after replicel cloning will produce the hair only once ?



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