Histogen Announces 26 Week Results In Latest HST-001 Trial

Update: Histogen Ends HST-001 (6/3/21)

Histogen has announced that it is suspending the development of HST-001 aka HSC. Their latest press release appears to mark the end of the 12 year run that the “hair stimulating complex” had in this industry. Although the diplomatic word “suspending” was used, we can be all but sure this is the end of HSC. Histogen now plans to focus its efforts on orthopedic product candidates.

Original Article

On February 16, 2021, Histogen issued a press release detailing the final results from its phase 1b/2a trial of injectable HST-001 in men with androgenic alopecia.

Somehow, someway, the Histogen HSC/HST-001 saga seems to find a way to linger on. In today’s press release, the results announced were not stellar, and they were not completely terrible either. The company announced that at the week 26 timepoint, patients treated with HST-001 showed a statistically significant change from baseline in total hair count (terminal and vellus) in the vertex treatment area. The press release did not mention how much % of a positive change it was. However, similar to the week 18 update from Histogen, patients treated with HST-001 at week 26 did not show a statistically significant change compared to those who received placebo. 

I know you’re looking for the not completely terrible part now. Despite the lackluster results, it appears Histogen is not done yet with HST-001 and is planning another study in H2 2021. According to CEO Richard Pascoe, the next study will also comprise males and is likely to include a larger number of trial subjects. From the press release it seems that Dr. Stacy Smith (investigator of most current trial) will also be involved in the future study.

And there you have it. At this point I think we know not to hold our breath for the next Histogen study, though, I will say I am happy that they are going to give it at least one more shot. It seems quite odd that after all these years and the initial positive data from its first trials that HST-001 would fall flat when it matters the most, but these things happen, as they say. Perhaps, if there was a kink discovered that can be worked out in the next study we may see results that can push this product through the clinical trial process.

154 Comments

  1. Follicle Thought on February 16, 2021 at 10:20 am

    Is there anyone still holding out hope for Hisotgen?

    I still have hope for them since they are going to continue, I’m not going to worry about it though, if you know what I mean.



    • Christopher on February 19, 2021 at 12:36 pm

      Can someone tell me what happened to that Italian company that had the product similar to Samumed/wnt signaling? Wasn’t it suppose to be out early this year?



      • Follicle Thought on February 21, 2021 at 6:49 pm

        Christopher please read this article and go through the comments section https://folliclethought.com/way-316606-product-release-update-2020/. The product was released but no great reviews from it yet.



        • Lav on June 4, 2021 at 4:50 am

          Dear admin,
          As per my understanding They officially haven’t declared any thing.



          • Follicle Thought on June 4, 2021 at 10:18 am

            Ok ?



  2. mp5of9 on February 16, 2021 at 10:27 am

    Oh Lordy, color me nonplussed, and I use that term incorrectly.



  3. Sonic on February 16, 2021 at 10:55 am

    Thanks for the update regardless of the bad news admin. I wasn’t expecting anything from Histogen anyway so I’m not phased, but it’s good we have closure on it.

    Moving on to more interesting treatments, admin do you know if Triple Hair is still on track to release TH16 in Q1 2021? And if it is, do you know if and when they would be releasing efficacy results? Because we are getting mid-way of Q1 2021 so they might know by now these details.

    Also, do you know when Applied Biology is going to release their efficacy results? I thought they were going to release results sometime in January prior to their market release



    • Follicle Thought on February 16, 2021 at 6:34 pm

      Thanks Sonic, I am planning to contact AB either by the end of the week or for first thing next week.



      • Sonic on February 21, 2021 at 5:39 pm

        Thank you admin, I really appreciate all you do!



  4. Anthony D Salazar on February 16, 2021 at 10:56 am

    I dont get it, statistically significant decrease or increase in hair count?



    • Follicle Thought on February 16, 2021 at 6:35 pm

      It would have to be increase, they cannot advertise a statistically significant decrease in hair count they’d be laughed out of biotech for good.



  5. Devit on February 16, 2021 at 11:16 am

    Thank you admin, I still have hope from Histogen, they are going for another trail like Replicel. Another trail means huge investment. I read in one of your forum that it can be similar to Exosome, If it is then it must be working in some patients.



  6. Shu on February 16, 2021 at 12:02 pm

    Just stop this joke of a trial and give your money to tsuji already.
    I seriously hate these guys, so.much noise for nothing, but.still better than the other guys taking 20 years to launch a glorified microneedle procedure :)))) i won’t even say their name



    • Yoda on February 16, 2021 at 2:41 pm

      Interesting logic Shu, you “hate” Histogen, a company that is in clinical trials and prefer Tsuji who has only worked on mice, lost a major funding source and is currently passing the hat with a donation page to raise money. I’d hold my breath for that one! 😉



      • Shu on February 16, 2021 at 7:35 pm

        @yoda sir my logic can be silly but I prefer to live with the hope of a cure coming out rather than getting excited for a treatment that has mediocre results ( to say the least ) and took 15 years to get in phase 2. Anyways thats admin for keeping us posted, I’m done with the complain:)



  7. Andrew on February 16, 2021 at 12:23 pm

    Histogen is a joke. Both they’re timeline and technology is way behind other things in the pipeline. If I were an investor I’d already be writing it off as a loss.



    • Yoda on February 16, 2021 at 2:43 pm

      What treatment is currently ahead on timeline? Is it in the bag, a 100% certainty?



  8. Soul on February 16, 2021 at 12:29 pm

    Honestly, Histogen is long over for me. Maybe they will surprise us, but I doubt it.



    • Yoda on February 16, 2021 at 2:51 pm

      Ok Yoda will be serious now. Soul and Admin, one thing I’m uncertain of is if this trial is focused on safety or efficacy or both? Typically early stage clinical trials are to demonstrate safety and then the treatment or protocol is optimized for efficacy. Do we know what the case is with certainty, one way or another.
      And no, I’m not a Histogen fanboy, just some of the comments slay me as they defy logic. We all should be happy to have as many players at the party as long as they aren’t a scam. While Histogen may never come out, they are not a scam.



      • Follicle Thought on February 16, 2021 at 6:39 pm

        This trial was designed for both safety and efficacy as the treatment involved macrophotography (Canfield photography). However, the results did not surpass placebo for some reason. I’m really surprised actually, one would think that Histogen knows a lot about their product after a decade. Somehow, the numbers weren’t there when the spotlight was on.



        • Yoda on February 16, 2021 at 8:26 pm

          Yeah, seems odd. They seemed to have decent results in the past and now have some competence and money behind them. Guess (more) time will tell. Any chance you can reach out to them and ask a few questions Admin, or are they one of the unapproachable ones?



          • Woofy97 on February 17, 2021 at 1:40 pm

            Yoda didn’t they change the recipe? They did have good results in the 2012 trial. So idk



  9. Twenti on February 16, 2021 at 1:14 pm

    @Shu Exactly, It ‘s been obvious for years that Histogen was a overhyped con that would never deliver decent results. They should accept their fate and cut their losses.



    • Yoda on February 16, 2021 at 2:45 pm

      Yeah, quit researching because it’s taking too long (waaaah!). There are soooo many treatments on schedule, right around the corner, just give it up!!



      • Follicle Thought on February 16, 2021 at 6:37 pm

        Let’s try to keep things civil, guys. I understand the complaints, and the complaining about complaints, however I’m not interested in a back and forth spin cycle going on.



      • Twenti on February 18, 2021 at 8:44 am

        Yoda, years ago I gave up on follica, samumed, Breezula and others, ever realising a successful treatments. These companies in never ending trials use these possible treatments to raise money, or increase their stock price. They have zero ethics or morals. All the trials they’ve conducted have never shown any decent results. Maybe one of the newer biotech companies that admin has mentioned on this site might release successful treatments. For now though, I think that only the hair cloning companies have a realistic chance of delivering a ‘cure’ by the mid to late 2020’s.



  10. Jens Eriksson on February 16, 2021 at 3:31 pm

    Im looking forward to the Swedish company Follicum who will present their phase 2a study shortly with topical cream with peptide FOL-005. Read the erlier study on mice which wasn´t with optimized dose. Follicum will be the biggest news on hairloss in years.



  11. MRKA on February 17, 2021 at 1:57 am

    Do we have reliable data regarding the previous product? I have seen one perhaps two pics that looked good.
    This leaves us with TH16 for this year. At least their website looks professional. However, it is still hard to believe that regrowth occurs whilst DHT is attacking the follicles.

    What I still don’t know is how the study designers ensure that the participants are not cheating?!



    • Yoda on February 17, 2021 at 6:17 pm

      ” it is still hard to believe that regrowth occurs whilst DHT is attacking the follicles”…exactly MRKA. Why some diminishing returns on Minox if they don’t have their DHT under control. In addition, DHT ramps up with age, it doesn’t stay at a static level.



  12. Anthony D Salazar on February 17, 2021 at 3:24 am

    I still can’t really divine any actual conclusions about the cryptic statements surrounding the results. Statistically significant change from baseline i.e. increase in hair count, but identical results to vehicle in balding patients? Whereas the 12 week mark had “separation” from placebo and no statistically significant change from baseline? Wouldn’t that mean that over 26 weeks HSC arrested and improved hair loss? But also this trial was a failure? I don’t get it.



    • Yoda on February 17, 2021 at 6:18 pm

      That’s what I thought Tony!



  13. thinningontop on February 17, 2021 at 8:29 am

    Hey Admin, have you been in contact with Quark Pharmaceuticals? they had a promising treatment that you reported on back in 2017, haven’t heard much since. Many thanks.



    • Follicle Thought on February 17, 2021 at 9:02 am

      I have tried thinningontop, the last I heard back around 2018 was they were in discussion with several companies about potential collaboration and development. However, it seems that nothing took flight and my contact at Quark Pharma who provided the PDF for us has since left the company. Maybe they could surprise us but I don’t keep it high on the radar anymore.



  14. Steve on February 17, 2021 at 8:07 pm


  15. Mjones on February 17, 2021 at 8:34 pm

    Goooooooooo Histogen! They need to fake their trial results like they did 10 years ago so the stock price can sky rocket. If you cant successfully create a hair loss product at least fake successful results so I can cash out. If you cant give me hair at least give me money haha. Sad industry we deal with. 20 yrs of the same rish, wash and repeat.



  16. Follicle Thought on February 18, 2021 at 10:04 am

    By the way, I have checked in with Samumed, there is no information available at the moment because all of the data has to be submitted and there is not a clear way to give an estimate of potential approval, it’s going to be in the regulatory boards hands for a while and we should hear back about it later this year.



    • thinningontop on February 18, 2021 at 5:44 pm

      Thanks for the update Admin!



    • Maker on February 19, 2021 at 3:07 am

      So we don‘t hear about the Samumed results at the end of Q1 as once predicted?



      • Follicle Thought on February 20, 2021 at 5:03 pm

        Maker, no we probably hear of Samumed results around Q3 2021 as as estimate.



      • Follicle Thought on February 21, 2021 at 6:47 pm

        Maker, nope.



    • D1 on February 24, 2021 at 2:42 pm

      @FollicleThought why cant samumed just publish their results?



      • Follicle Thought on February 24, 2021 at 7:18 pm

        They possibly will publish their results sometime this summer. We’ll have to wait and see.



  17. NoClue on February 18, 2021 at 2:51 pm

    Hi Admin, for someone who is at NW4 and experiencing thinning hair with an oily dandruff scalp would you say PRP or Regenera Activa might be useful treatments to keep things at bay? I wanted to knowing there was any efficacy behind those treatments and just a follow on to that, when would you say a viable treatment aside from Propecia/Minoxidil would be in place to combat hair loss?
    Thanks!



    • Yoda on February 18, 2021 at 5:04 pm

      No Clue…welcome! I’m not the Admin but Yoda has been at this game for over 30 years. I’ve tried PRP/CRP with one of the pioneers of the therapy and utilizes the latest techniques, 4 sessions (close to $5K) over the course of a year. My experience is that it gave me little to no appreciable benefit. You don’t want to believe it because it costs a lot of dough but eventually you know the truth. Doc show you the best results, it might have some benefit for women and early stage younger patients but in my opinion not men (NW4). Save your money…Yoda’s opinion.



      • NoClue on February 18, 2021 at 5:43 pm

        Hi Yoda, thanks for the response!! I was considering PRP at this clinic in the UK https://www.rejuvenceclinic.co.uk/prp-treatment-for-hair-loss/.
        I still have a good amount of hair on my head but it has been thinning and my scalp is visible at the crown of my head when under harsh lighting. I just want a way to keep it at bay or make my existing hair thicker if possible. Do you have any advice?



        • Yoda on February 18, 2021 at 8:06 pm

          No Clue, thought I was very clear but here’s my advice…don’t do it, little chance of any appreciable results and a 100% chance of separating you from your money as the only effect.



    • Follicle Thought on February 21, 2021 at 6:45 pm

      NoClue, my opinion is if money is not an object to you then multiple PRP treatments within a 6-8 month period could potentially be helpful to you. If you look around at all the hair clinics websites that offer PRP you will typically find 1 to 4 objectively successful before and after sets from PRP. Of course, there are dozens more patients which get injections and do not show a change, but some people do. Thus, it could help you. You’ll have to decide if you’re willing to take the chance on spending for PRP.



  18. Mjones on February 18, 2021 at 7:28 pm

    No clue welcome. I am long time user of propecia rogaine and nizoral. Use all 3 or lose all your hair. Those are your only options. Sorry to be so blunt but I want you to save your hair and money. Prp, herbs, oils etc dont work. If they did it would be fda approved for hairloss. So if you arent on the big 3 then I suggest you get on it asap and save what you got for when better treatments come out this decade.



    • Yoda on February 18, 2021 at 8:07 pm

      Agree with my old but younger than me brother, MJ! 😉



  19. JJ on February 18, 2021 at 8:00 pm

    @NoClue

    I am a long time user of big 3 as well. Nothing works as great as all three COMBINED.

    I have gotten off fin and I tried to replaced that with quarterly PRP. It does work to an extent you know. It’s not that bad. I tried quarterly for a year, decent results for someone who got on the big 3 early and preserved what I had (NW1 at most). But given the cost, I switched to annual and for sure that did not do much for me.

    Fast forward to 4 years post fin … let me tell you. Nothing makes up for that lol I’m not going to get into details why I got off fin because to each his own kinda thing.

    Quarterly PRP with big 3 is not a bad idea (if you got the money). But Just one PRP every year on its own … honestly, it’s just a waste of money. It has to be done regularly unfortunately.



    • Yoda on February 18, 2021 at 8:10 pm

      I did quarterly for a year with nothing to show but a lighter wallet. Everyone is different, I imagine along with your NW1 you’re quite a bit younger than Yoda JJ?



  20. JJ on February 18, 2021 at 9:51 pm

    @yoda

    I was 25 at that time. But it certainly was to slow down the loss. It was nothing spectacular. Big 3 at a young age though, different story. But to each his own comfort level.



    • Yoda on February 19, 2021 at 5:00 pm

      Yeah JJ, an NW1 at 25 years old like you has a better shot (pun intended) of getting some results from PRP, laser, stemoxydine, etc. These sorts of things have shown benefit in a degree of patients. Problem is the docs take results from a young NW1 like you and trumpet it like the vast majority of MPB sufferers could receive the same type of results. Trust me, I know this first hand. As far as the big 3 at a young age, I started minox in my mid 20’s and fin in my mid 30’s…no issues and I just turned 58. But agree with you, to each their own in making the best decision on treatments. However, I don’t recommend letting the fearmongering and anecdotal reports on the internet be a predominant factor in making that choice.



  21. MRKA on February 19, 2021 at 2:23 am

    @ no clue

    Oral minox perhaps?

    I would use it but it is not registered here in my country. I have to drive to a neighbouring country to get it. But lockdown is the current showstopper.
    Thus I will throw money at TH16 first.
    Most likely a waste of money.
    Nothing else is visible on the horizon.



    • Radula on February 19, 2021 at 10:42 am

      Have we heard when TH16 is being released? Apparently it was Q1 but it may have been pushed back. Admin, what are your little birds whispering in your ear?



      • Follicle Thought on February 21, 2021 at 6:48 pm

        Radula someone mentioned in a thread that they heard it will be pushed back to Q2 2021 which seems reasonable to me. I will try to get a clearer answer this week.



        • Radula on February 22, 2021 at 12:24 pm

          Thanks Admin. I’m hoping for the best with this product but keeping my expectations low.



  22. thinningontop on February 19, 2021 at 2:13 pm

    Hey Admin, sorry to pester again. Was just wondering if you had a contact at Hope Medicine INC. I’ve been aware of there PRL antibody for a while due to the fact that it had amazing results in non-human primates.

    “The antibody was effective in stimulating hair growth in aged stump-tailed macaques, nearly doubling the number of terminal hairs after 6 months even in previously fully bald areas and showing a sustainable impact even after 2 years post treatment. Notably, the stump-tail macaque model is considered one of the rare predictive animal models for male and female pattern hair loss in humans.”

    Have also just read the following from an article in December. The title of the article is

    “Hope Medicine Inc. Announced Dr. Henri Nico Doods as President and Head of Research & Clinical Development”

    Within the article it states. “HMI-115, a prolactin receptor antibody, has passed animal experiments and phase I clinical human studies, and will enter phase II trials in multiple indications in 2021”

    Would be great if we could get regular updates as this (imo) holds a lot of potential.

    Thanks as ever Admin.



    • John Doe on February 19, 2021 at 3:32 pm

      @ thinningontop I also saw this and think its one of the best in the pipeline and even starts Phase 2 … however makes me smile to read doubling Hair count in fully bald areas. Very funny HopeMed !! 2×0 is what?? 🙂



      • Yoda on February 19, 2021 at 5:02 pm

        Yoda is on board with any company who’s President is named Dr. Doods! 🙂



  23. Woofy97 on February 19, 2021 at 3:52 pm

    I’m interested in seeing Dr Rassman hairy Nevus molecule treatment for AGA on a human. We already know what hairy nevus can do some people have scalp like hair growing out of there forehead down through the side of the head and then the hairs rap around one eye i wish I could post the picture But you can just google it.



  24. John Doe on February 20, 2021 at 4:48 am

    @Woofy97 is this related to Maksim Plikus Hairy Moles company Amplifica? Its also from UCI.



    • Tom on February 20, 2021 at 5:54 am

      Yes, it is.



    • Woofy97 on February 20, 2021 at 11:08 am

      john doe yes



  25. StopMyHairFall on February 20, 2021 at 11:13 am

    Hi everyone, can I get an honest response from when people think firstly we will have another hair loss solution aside from Fin and Minoxidil? Secondly how far do you think hair regeneration therapy or fixing hair loss from NW5/6 to like NW2/3 will be realistically?

    Going through a lot of the blogs and on Reddit there really seems like there is no hope at all and it’s going to be another decade of no viable treatment coming out aside from Fin and Minox which of one has side effects and the other is daily usage but hair fall/thinning in the first few months.



    • Yoda on February 20, 2021 at 6:39 pm

      Both are daily usage and one has appreciable side effects in a very small percentage of users. To say one has side effects makes it sound like all who use it (fin) will get sides which is simply not the case.



    • Soul on February 24, 2021 at 6:11 pm

      StopMyHairFall, my advice is not to listen to anyone about possible future treatments, because nobody knows anything !! use this good blog to get information and draw your own conclusions in a cautious way.



  26. Woofy97 on February 20, 2021 at 11:47 am

    Tsuji 2024 if he gets the funding soon. Who ever runs Follica or looking at follica at FDA should resign 10 to 20 years in clinical trials is a joke for a micro needling device. Not that it will give a jaw dropping result but I mean come on.



  27. Twenti on February 20, 2021 at 1:18 pm

    Hairclone is likely two years away from starting clinical trials according to their Australia banking partner.
    12.15
    https://youtu.be/Ve2CL-eRlao?t=736



    • Follicle Thought on February 20, 2021 at 5:05 pm

      Yes from clinical trials, however they can start treating patients (technically cloning DP cells and giving them to doctors who treat patients) this year in the UK if all goes to plan.



  28. Mjones on February 20, 2021 at 1:31 pm

    StopMyHairFall my predictions are below:

    Tsuji 2030+
    Follica 2023ish
    Samumed 2022 if no additional trials needed by fda
    Breezula/CB 2024
    Histogen- 2027 if they dont scrap the project
    Hairclone 2023- but not expecting anything too miraculous but more maintenance which is fine
    Stemson – 2030+
    Loreal 2030+
    The new company with monkey trial that is showing great promise, forgot the name – 2027ish after all trials

    I think that is all. Anywho these are just my gut feeling predictions based on realistic timelines including delays, regulations, trial fda red tape and leaving out emotions and hope. Remember just because we all want a new treatment doesn’t mean it will happen and everything goes right.



    • al.budny on February 21, 2021 at 4:49 am

      I agree with Mijones, but i put all my hope on Stemson with their allogenic approach:)



    • Jens Eriksson on February 22, 2021 at 3:32 pm

      Where is Follicum? You missed the most interesting company of them all



  29. Woofy97 on February 20, 2021 at 2:01 pm

    While your predictions may be true on most of those mjones I disagree with your tsuji one ?. luckily for us the the FDA doesn’t run the show in Japan.



    • Yoda on February 20, 2021 at 6:42 pm

      I agree with Woofy Mjones, your Tsjui prediction is probably overly optimistic. Guess it will depend on how much money they raise on their donation page. 😉



  30. Mjones on February 20, 2021 at 2:17 pm

    Woofy tbh I dont think tsuji will deliver. The fact that he is crowdfunding and looking at go fund me pages to raise money is a very bad sign. I thought the Japanese govt was funding him? What happened with that? I still think if hr does pull a miracle and continues then 2030 or later is a fair estimate for completion of trials, safety, distribution etc. You can expect him to get 4m bucks, start trials the next day, then everything goes right and he can see that hair cycles right for years with no issues in just a 1 yr trial? This stuff will need at least 3 to 6 years just to test accurate hair cycling and regrowth. 10 yrs from 1st human trial is good time frame. Imagine if tsuji just rushed the trial, gets Japanese approval and implants 100k follicles. A yr later they all grow uneven, in grown, half shed over night the rest grow in weird angles after a second cycle of growth lol. You would look like a freak. These are things they need to perfect in humans. He said he has it figured out but they haven’t actually tested it in a bald man’s scalp though.



  31. Scottie S. on February 20, 2021 at 4:39 pm

    Back to basics question here. Does anyone get decent results from Nizoral 1%? Or is everyone on a 2% prescription? I’ve never used the stuff…



    • Yoda on February 20, 2021 at 6:46 pm

      Nizoral 1% and 2% are equal in results…they don’t grow hair nor stop loss. It is a good adjunct to other treatments e.g. fin-min=big 3. Niz will help with scalp health and his VERY mild anti-DHT properties. Go for 2% bro, gotta throw everything you can at this dreaded disease.



  32. Kapil on February 20, 2021 at 5:07 pm

    Sorry for being negative Tsuji is a concept or fiction Follica trials shows 40% increase,they done it on higher Norwood guys, they never reveal hair count only % Norwood 4 and 5 guys have less cm2 (guys with 20 cm2 hair manage to grow 8 more will make 40% and just 2 more will make 50%)Hairclone is ready but they are waiting for someone else to do it safely then they can follow. Histogen is history all other players taking more than five years to show anything are 100% safe



  33. Mjones on February 20, 2021 at 5:11 pm

    I used regular nizoral for several years when I first started thinning. For me it didnt grow any hair from what could tell but it helped tremendously with the itch and oil. Plus it made my hair strands 2x thicker for thicker fuller look. After about 7 years I switched to 2% because I got severe dermatitis scalp scaling. Not sure what caused but I got on 2% and it cured it. Still use 3x a week with success. Overall nizoral helps lower scalp dht and is a mild anti androgen and inflammatory reducer. Use it!



    • Yoda on February 20, 2021 at 6:47 pm

      That’s what I say MJ!



  34. Mjones on February 20, 2021 at 7:39 pm

    I rarely say this but this BAY115806 drug has my attention. These are the results that catch my eye not rivertown 4 hairs. Let’s see how this pans out. I like how Bayer a big time player is running this trial. They got big dollars. Hopefully they start phase 2 and have excellent results on humans.



    • Woofy97 on February 21, 2021 at 12:27 pm

      Mjones you know what else you should have your attention on Dr Rassman’s and pukis hairy nevus treatment that actually in my view seems like better then all the other injections because of the potential of what hair nevus’s can do.



  35. Scottie S. on February 20, 2021 at 10:12 pm

    Thanks MJones and Yoda. I’ll give it a go!



  36. Devit on February 21, 2021 at 7:45 am

    I don’t find any reference article on BAY-1158061, can you help me?



  37. Anon on February 21, 2021 at 7:54 am

    Can someone explain what this guy is talking about? I saw the same post on Reddit yesterday but it was taken down after about an hour. There isn’t a lot of info on this drug. Is this guy spamming? I don’t get it.



    • MRKA on February 21, 2021 at 10:44 am

      Evidently, Hope Medicine Inc. In China is developing this product now. Info almost two years old. Since then…silence.

      Most likely BS…



  38. Mjones on February 21, 2021 at 12:59 pm

    I take back my statement regarding the Bayer BAY prolactin drug. It looks like China bought it and no new developments. I should have known it was bs news. Woofy- doubt Rassman will create the cure lol. Hopefully he does produce something that actually grows hair though.



    • Tom on February 21, 2021 at 2:38 pm

      Phase 2 will start this year. It is delayed due to COVID-19.



    • thinningontop on February 21, 2021 at 4:55 pm

      China (hopemed) created it and licensed it to Bayer.. do an actual search and you’ll see they have us an update in 2020, hell I even posted about it earlier.



      • thinningontop on February 21, 2021 at 5:11 pm

        Ignore that, it was me that got it completely back to front. Bayer did indeed license it to Hopemed. Hopemed have it listed as HMI-115.



  39. Woofy97 on February 21, 2021 at 1:35 pm

    Yeah it’s not going to be a cure but if regrows hair thats be good.



    • Tom on February 21, 2021 at 2:40 pm

      It has the potential to be the cure, or at least close to being it.



  40. Mjones on February 21, 2021 at 3:32 pm

    Tom- is Bayer still running the trials? Do they still own the drug or did they actually sell it to China? I am getting mixed facts.



  41. Tom on February 21, 2021 at 3:53 pm

    They have a licence agreement with Hope medicine, Hope Medicine has the rights to commercialize it and they have announced Phase II trials will begin this year.



    • thinningontop on February 21, 2021 at 4:57 pm

      You’ve got it the wrong way round Tom. Hope Medicine created it, Bayer acquired the global license for development and commercialization.



      • thinningontop on February 21, 2021 at 5:09 pm

        Ignore that, It was me that go it wrong. For reference – hope medicine is progressing it as HMI-115.



        • Vienna Austria on February 21, 2021 at 5:33 pm

          Yes, I just read an article on it in German. Bayer was partnering with Hope during the development phase and Hope Medicine was so impressed by the results they made an offer Bayer couldn’t decline. Which does not mean that Bayer was not convinced by it, as the offer apparently included a revenue participation for Bayer once Hope brings it to the market. It also said that Bayer already did two phase I studies which showed good tolerability. Application would be via injections every couple of weeks and the COO of Hope also stated that he’s happy to move towards phase II clinical trials in Europe, Asia & the US.. however the article was written in 02/2019, so I have no idea what happened since then.



          • thinningontop on February 21, 2021 at 11:21 pm

            Great informative post, thanks for sharing!



  42. Vienna Austria on February 21, 2021 at 5:03 pm

    This sounds very interesting, I would love to get more info on it. I didn’t know Bayer was in the hairloss “game”.. Admin have you heard of this?



  43. Mjones on February 21, 2021 at 5:30 pm

    So wtf is that right answer? Haha. Bayer commercializing or Hope?



    • Vienna Austria on February 21, 2021 at 5:35 pm

      Hope will be commercializing – I answered in more detail below thinningontop’s post above.



      • Mjones on February 21, 2021 at 6:21 pm

        Thank you Vienna Austria. I just googled Hope. It seems they are located in Arizona. Is this the right pharmaceutical company? I want to be sure its usa based so that we dont have to repeat fda trials.



        • Vienna Austria on February 21, 2021 at 6:33 pm

          They might have an office in Arizona but as they are a Peking University spin-off I would guess their HQ is in China.



        • Vienna Austria on February 22, 2021 at 9:15 am

          Mjones, I just found another article in which Hope Medicine announced the appointment of a new president and head of research and clinical development (Nico Doods), who has more than 30 yrs experience with Boehringer Ingelheim where he participated in advancing 15 compounds towards clinical stages. Seems like they got him to advance their product towards clinical trials. Most importantly he himself mentions that he is committed to facilitate the company’s global integrated phase II clinical research in Europe, US and China in 2021! So I hope this answers your question! 🙂 The article is also much more recent than the previous one I summarized – this was published in December 2020, so it seems as they are still working on it.



  44. tshitou on February 21, 2021 at 6:06 pm

    Hey guys, I am a suffer of AGA from China and have been surfing this blog for a long time. Please forgive me if my language is bad. And I just want to provide some information that I got from Chinese inside. The most recent news in our country about this medicine , I believe was posted back to June 2020. A doctor names Maqi who now based in Nanjing city is said research it. The article I’ve found is pretty much as same as you guys introduced above. Dr.Maqi also mentioned that there will be a phase II in worldwide soon. Yet, I can’t find anymore since then. I will cross finger for it if it does work, but to be honest, I don’t have very strong faith on it although I hope I was wrong.



    • MRKA on February 22, 2021 at 4:30 am

      Thanks tshitou…good to get an opinion from somebody who lives in China and thus has an information advantage if this could be beneficial or not. I do understand that hairloss is of significant concern in China especially due to the unfavourable gender ratio. Please keep us updated.



  45. Paul on February 22, 2021 at 11:53 am

    Has anyone tried Viviscal Professional? If so, would you recommend?



  46. StopMyHairFall on February 22, 2021 at 5:16 pm

    Thanks guy for the responses. What about RepliCel is there no update from them??



  47. Tom on February 22, 2021 at 6:16 pm

    @Admin, can you please take down my long post?
    Thanks in advance.



  48. BearlyEagle on February 22, 2021 at 8:15 pm

    Looks like this youtube guy may get an interview if anyone wants to throw some questions Tsuji’s way.
    Or even better if anyone has a spare $5 million they can chip in. 😉



  49. Paul on February 23, 2021 at 7:01 pm

    Can someone explain the basic difference between male pattern baldness and alopecia areata?

    My understanding is that MPB only affects the top of your head. People with MPB still have thick sides (as in, the hair at the side) and thick chest hair and so on.

    With alopecia areata, the person might experience thinning all over?

    My hair (on top) has been thinning for years. I’m now 40. My leg hair is much thinner than it used to be. Same with my chest hair. My stubble is now losing density.

    Does this mean I have alopecia as opposed to MPB, and therefore finasteride won’t work for me?



    • Roy on February 24, 2021 at 12:19 pm

      As you age you have less T and DHT and there for less thickness of hair .

      But your sensetivty of the hair also increase .



    • Yoda on February 24, 2021 at 6:35 pm

      In a nutshell, MPB or androgenic alopecia is due to DHT affecting/attacking/shrinking/miniaturizing follicles. Areata is an inflammatory disease, it’s nowhere near as common. I THINK areata causes patchy balding or can be full loss of hair, even eyebrows.



  50. D1 on February 24, 2021 at 3:58 pm

    @FollicleThought how is your pipeline of news articles coming up?



    • Follicle Thought on February 24, 2021 at 7:20 pm

      I’m waiting for a few responses at the moment, usually there is news brewing, mostly about new startups. Always hoping to hear about that breakthrough as well ?



  51. Paul on February 25, 2021 at 10:51 am

    Thank you for the clarification, guys.

    Also, I stumbled across an old thread (on another forum) that I found very interesting.

    I had a full, thick head of hair until I was about 29. After I took accutane (for acne) my thinning began, and it has continued gradually. Now, I have always thought that accutane caused thinning while you used it, and perhaps for a few months after, but someone proposed a theory that accutane causes various permanent changes (which is why you don’t get acne again) and these changes are linked to hairloss.

    The poster said that accutane causes CCCA, high atRa levels, altered vitamina metabolism, altered RA receptors, high levels of trans retinol acid (in tissue) and lichen planopiloris inflammation.

    He sited a research paper, and I have contacted the authors of the study to see what they advise.

    I don’t know if anyone here has taken accutane, but if you have, this stuff is quite interesting. I might look into seeing if I test the following:

    -atRa levels
    -vitamin a metabolism
    -trans retinol acid
    -lymphocyte inflammation

    The original poster suggested that ALDH1A1 would be necessary to regulate our retinol acid and potentially stablise some of the after-effects of accutane.

    Thoughts?



    • Alan on February 25, 2021 at 3:43 pm

      Hi there. Long term reader, first time comment. I took Roccautane twice in the mid 90’s. 16 weeks and then a further 9 weeks. Side effects were horrific but stayed on course. I was 20 at the time and had a Norwood 0. When I finished the course my hairline had receded and I had a small bald batch right in the front. I was able to cover over till around 38 as I started to recede further. I never recovered hair density.
      Thank you for all your hard work admin



  52. woofy97 on February 25, 2021 at 1:12 pm

    maybe people should sue accutane and they need to put a warning on the bottle. I never used it so idk if they have. instead people go after finasteride and write horror stories to scare other hairloss sufferers on that when they can easily stop the drug and or take Viagra.



  53. AA25 on February 25, 2021 at 4:18 pm

    I think Stemson filled up they histotechnician job. they’re hiring another researcher. posted 10 days ago

    https://apply.workable.com/stemson-therapeutics/j/21D5F4305F/



  54. Jonathan Weaver on June 3, 2021 at 11:16 am

    Follicum, now Histogen. This is a nightmare… Please Samumed don’t give up too.



    • Kapil on June 3, 2021 at 12:19 pm

      Rizn (th16) is next out but on their Facebook page more than th16 now they added some kind of tab and calling products hope it’s not another trinov



  55. Anthony D Salazar on June 3, 2021 at 12:41 pm

    I’m right there with you, Kapil. Link to OP. For those interested, just go to “Triple Hair Inc.”‘s FB profile and you will see a link to their newsletter. If Th-16 is actually more effective then minoxidil then Triple Hair will blow Hims/Keeps/etc. out of the water and hopefully keep compounding treatments that work, at least better than what we’ve got now.



  56. Anthony Salazar on June 3, 2021 at 1:38 pm

    I will also be trying Th-16 as soon as it becomes available and pot before and after pics.



  57. Andrew on June 3, 2021 at 1:55 pm

    https://www.koreabiomed.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=11291

    Here’s hoping 1 of these companies pull through



  58. Woofy97 on June 3, 2021 at 5:07 pm

    they should have continued with the original formula. Those results were actually impressive. Oh well. Dr. Rassman’s hairy nevus treatment, has way more potential. But don’t hold your breath and don’t pay close attention to these injection treatments.



    • Yoda on June 3, 2021 at 5:22 pm

      Histogen was my Tsjui back in the day. 🙁



      • Vamngxy on June 4, 2021 at 7:54 pm

        So you admit that tsuji is the holy grail?



  59. Mjones on June 3, 2021 at 6:54 pm

    Histogen prob never worked even with the original formula. Too sketchy with delays, law suits, ziering fake pics lol. All bad signs. Well at least it gave us similar false hope just like everything else in the pipe haha. One by one they all fail. Big 3 and advanced ht for the next decade at least. Maybe follica but not expecting anything crazy results from them. Been dermastamp and rogaine the past two months once a week on my thinning right side of my hairline and I dont see any baby hairs just worsening. 1.5mm stamp



  60. B2 on June 4, 2021 at 1:25 am

    Hi Admin, thanks for keeping us informed. Any new leads on Procyanidin B2? This sounds promising to me. Cheers



    • Follicle Thought on June 4, 2021 at 10:19 am

      B2, I will possibly have some exclusive information to share in the coming months, depending on how it looks upon first glance.



  61. Anthony D Salazar on June 4, 2021 at 3:18 am

    Anyone have any intel on this company/their products?

    https://www.salvona.com/product/salsphere-natural-hair-growth-promoter/



  62. AlwaysPain on June 4, 2021 at 9:37 am

    What is Cassiopea doing? I don’t have faith in breezula anymore.



    • Kapil on June 4, 2021 at 11:26 am

      @Alwayspain I am right there with you any company dragging their feet towards the end and making all sorts of stories with no evidence are safe to write off I can name at least three



  63. Daniel on June 5, 2021 at 5:58 am

    Thanks for everything folliclethought!
    Can you update the Ultimate Guide Chart since Histogen is not a candidate anymore?



    • Follicle Thought on June 5, 2021 at 11:34 am

      Sure, will do Daniel.



  64. BearlyEagle on June 5, 2021 at 1:13 pm

    A study was done on 35 subjects with AGA using a once daily topical hemp oil formulation, averaging about 3 – 4 mg per day of CBD and minimal amounts of other cannabinoids for six months.

    A hair count of the greatest area of alopecia was carried out before treatment and again after six months. The results revealed that men did slightly better than women, and the vertex area did better than the temporal areas.

    On average there was statistically significant 93.5% increase in
    hair after 6 months. All subjects had some regrowth.

    There were no reported adverse effects.

    https://healthhacker.com.au/category/science/hair/



    • John Doe on June 5, 2021 at 1:29 pm

      @ BearlyEagle thats amazing! Thanks!

      @ Admin these are the best results you can imagine for a topical. Can you research that and ask how they plan to market this? Should be not that hard to commercialize. Sounds like cosmeceutical with natural ingredients.

      https://publications.sciences.ucf.edu/cannabis/index.php/Cannabis/article/view/78/47



      • Follicle Thought on June 5, 2021 at 6:18 pm

        I will check this out for you guys. Thanks John.



  65. John Doe on June 5, 2021 at 6:29 pm

    @ Admin I think its related to this Phase 1 Trial

    https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04842383



  66. Tom on June 6, 2021 at 6:08 am

    Only KY19382, HMI-115 and possibly SMI-6 are the treatments you should keep an eye on. They have the potential to cure us all, and we will know for sure in the next weeks to months.



    • Follicle Thought on June 6, 2021 at 11:28 am

      What is SMI-6?



      • Tom on June 6, 2021 at 4:17 pm

        A small molecule that competes with PRL at the receptor level (so the same MOA as HMI-115). A group of people is experimenting with is since ~1.5 months ago.



  67. Tom on June 6, 2021 at 4:49 pm

    Btw admin, maybe you could ask Choi for new updates on KY19382. E.g. whether they already initiated Phase I



    • Follicle Thought on June 6, 2021 at 4:59 pm

      Yes, I’ve just put him on the list of people to contact now.



  68. Anthony D Salazar on June 6, 2021 at 4:58 pm

    Good finds Tom, can you break down KY19382 and SMI-6 a bit more for us i.e. status, companies involved, MOA in layman’s terms, etc. etc.



  69. Mjones on June 6, 2021 at 8:20 pm

    CBD wont do Jack for mpb. It’s natural and a snake oil scam. 90% increase growth results would be all over the news. Come on guys after all these let downs and pump and dump companies and treatments I am amazed how people on here can still be gullible for it lol.



  70. Woofy97 on June 7, 2021 at 1:11 am

    Guys just you know, my BS meter is at max with the cbd oil 93.5% increase in hair regrowth But no pictures. I hope this is true but this doesn’t seem right. I need more proof. High resolution Pictures



    • Vanngxy on June 7, 2021 at 1:23 am

      No need proof. Its pathetic bs.



  71. Anthony D Salazar on June 7, 2021 at 1:39 am

    I agree that CBD oil is 99% BS and that Cassiopea can also be considered out at this point.



  72. Anthony D Salazar on June 7, 2021 at 6:04 am


    • Follicle Thought on June 7, 2021 at 9:06 am

      That’s a funny one Anthony.



  73. nobody on June 7, 2021 at 10:49 am

    what’s next. Hair loss cured by the laying on of hands! ?



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