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Cures For Hair Loss 2023 - News Feed
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Stemson Therapeutics Shuts Down
We reached out to Stemson Therapeutics for confirmation and have received the news that, yes, Stemson Therapeutics has shut down. Here is a quote from Geoff Hamiton, CEO. "I can confirm that we have shut down. It is a very disappointing outcome. I will say that pursuing a truly curative approach to hair loss with a true tissue regeneration therapy is still frontier science. While it offers the promise to be curative and durable, it is a significant challenge to develop such a solution involving living cellular medicines. It requires huge investment and dedication to the mission. There simply was no appetite or dedication in the biotech investment community during this historically bad biotech industry downturn to support Stemson with the major funding we needed to get the solution through the final stage of development and into the first clinical trial. We would love to see this technical approach picked back up in the future, as we firmly believe it will lead to a new breakthrough solution. But now was simply not our time to get the large investment needed."
Sun Pharma Delayed Release of Leqselvi for Alopecia Areata
Sun Pharma has had to delay the release of their JAK inhibitor deuruxolitinib (Leqselvi) thanks to an injunction from biopharma company Incyte. Incyte sells a JAK inhibitor called ruxolitinib, which is approved for non-hair loss-related indications like some blood cancers and graft-versus-host disease and as a topical for atopic dermatitis and vitiligo. Incyte claims that Leqselvi is structurally the same as ruxolitinib and, therefore, treads on their patent - which doesn't expire until 2026.
Sun Pharma will appeal the injunction; however, if they lose the appeal, they could be waiting until patent expiration before they can release their drug.
Arcutis Biotherapeutics Completes Enrollment for Phase 1b Study of ARQ-255 For Alopecia Areata
Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. has completed enrollment in its Phase 1b study of ARQ-255, a topical suspension containing ivarmacitinib, a selective JAK1 inhibitor, designed to treat alopecia areata. Utilizing Arcutis' proprietary Deep Dermal Drug Delivery (4D) technology, ARQ-255 aims to penetrate deep into the skin to target inflammation at the hair follicle base. The study will assess the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of ARQ-255 in healthy adults and individuals with patchy alopecia areata. Results are anticipated in the first half of 2025.
Pelage Pharma Doses First Patients in Its Phase 2 Trial
Pelage Pharmaceuticals has announced that it has dosed the first participants in its Phase 2a trial for its androgenic alopecia treatment PP405. PP405 is purported to stimulate hair follicle stem cells, triggering dormant biological processes and reinvigorating the natural hair growth cycle. This compound is said to work by targeting specific cells within the hair follicle, aiming to reawaken their ability to promote hair growth that may have become inactive over time. The trial will include 60 men and women and study its efficacy and safety.
Recent Research Finds Potential in Sugar Molecule to Improve Hair Loss Outcomes
A recent study that has come out of a collaboration between Sheffield University and COMSATS University Pakistan has been published in Frontiers in Pharmacology. This study utilizes a sugar naturally found in the body called 2-deoxy-D-ribose (2dDR) in mice injected with testosterone. The researchers found that 2dDR was able to improve hair regrowth at the same level as minoxidil. While the results are interesting, it should be noted that the study has been conducted in mice and, therefore, might not translate well to humans.
Dr Bloxham Posts New Verteporfin Update
Dr Bloxham has posted the next update for two out of three patients in his observational verteporfin study. You can check out the video here. We will also be updating our Verteporfin page with the details of the video within the next few days, so make sure to keep checking.
Kang Stem Announces MOU with HLB Biostep and HLB Biocode
Kang Stem Biotech has signed a memorandum of understanding with HLB Biostep and HLB Biocode to develop an organoid-based platform for evaluating drug safety and efficacy and advancing cell therapy products. This collaboration aims to commercialize an alternative to animal testing, using organoid technology to predict human drug responses and enhance non-clinical toxicity evaluations. The company plans to seek early IND approval for a hair loss treatment using skin organoids. The CEO of Kang Stem has emphasized the synergistic benefits of combining the companies' expertise in organoid technology, treatment production, and evaluation techniques.
Kintor Pharma Announces Clinical Trial Using 1% KX-826
Kintor Pharma has not given up despite no statistical significance being found for its recent Phase 3 trial. While the company has previously used 0.5% KX-826 in its Phase 3 trials, it has just announced that the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in China has approved the use of an increased concentration of 1% KX-826 in a clinical trial for male androgenic alopecia. We look forward to seeing what results are gained from this.
Inmagene Completes Enrollment for its Phase 2a Trial of IMG-007 for Alopecia Areata
Inmagene Biopharmaceuticals has finalized patient enrollment for its Phase 2a clinical trial of IMG-007, a nondepleting anti-OX40 monoclonal antibody, in adult patients with alopecia areata (AA). The trial will assess IMG-007's safety and efficacy, using the severity of alopecia tool (SALT) score in patients with over 50% scalp hair loss. With an enrollment of 29 patients across 11 sites in the U.S. and Canada, the study will evaluate the impact of three infusions over four weeks, with a follow-up period of 24 weeks. Topline results for this study are expected in Q4 2024, which will guide further understanding of the drug's potential in treating AA.
OliX Pharma Announces New Data at the World Congress for Hair Research
OliX Pharmaceuticals, a Korean biopharmaceutical company that focuses on developing RNAi therapies, has recently announced some results from its hair loss indication OLX104C (an asymmetric siRNA targeting androgen receptor therapy) at the 13th World Congress for Hair Research (WCHR 2024). A collaborator working with OliX on research on OLX104C, Dr Jonghyun Won, presented the data on the hair loss inhibition effect of the drug and the long-term impact of the drug in dermal papilla cells, human hair follicles, and mouse models.
While no results have been discussed in any press releases, they have been described as "promising", so we hope to get some published news soon.
The presentation at the WCHR was titled "Efficacy of Asymmetric siRNA Targeting Androgen Receptor for the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia".