Arthritis treatment that can help people with alopecia –

Tens of thousands of people with severe alopecia may soon benefit from a treatment that helps patients regain 80% of their hair.

The drug, called baricitinib, is already used on the NHS for conditions such as arthritis and dermatitis. It works by disrupting the faulty signals that the immune system attacks the follicles in the head and causes hair to fall out.

Earlier this month, international data from 1,200 patients with severe alopecia showed that taking the drug daily for nine months could help nearly all hair growth in one-third of patients.

One success story of baricitinib is Tracy Watkins, 53, from north London, who has been using it daily since she was diagnosed with alopecia areata in May 2019.

Last week, EU drug leaders – the European Medicines Agency – recommended approval of the drug based on the results of this study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Paul Farrant, consultant dermatologist at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Baricitinib is likely to pave the way for a new wave of drugs.

“Patients will soon have more options than ever before.”

Alopecia is a term used to describe generalized hair loss that affects approximately 40% of women and 30% of men at some point in their lives.

But about 100,000 Britons develop a condition called alopecia areata, which for reasons scientists don’t yet understand, occurs when immune system cells overdrive and attack hair follicles.

Within a few weeks, patients notice round patches of total hair loss. It can also affect eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair elsewhere on the body.

Steroid treatments – in cream, head injection or pill form – can be prescribed and are effective in one in five patients. But long-term use of steroid pills can greatly increase the risk of serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes, so doctors recommend stopping them after six weeks.

Other forms, such as creams, can irritate the skin and cause painful migraines. But baricitinib, which is part of a family of drugs called JAK inhibitors, can be taken every day and continued indefinitely. Side effects are usually minimal because unlike steroid drugs, this drug does not attack healthy immune cells.

Studies show that baricitinib stimulates hair growth within three months and continues to grow fuller and thicker.

The treatment is currently privately available at some dermatology clinics at a cost of £1,000 for a month’s supply. But it’s being evaluated for free use by the NHS drug control body NICE, and results are expected next year. Dr. Farrant hopes it will be approved for NHS patients.

Consultant dermatologist Dr. Adam Friedmann has been prescribing the drug to his private patients at Stratum Clinics for five years.

She says: “I wish baricitinib was available to everyone. It has minimal side effects and is incredibly effective.” News of baricitinib’s effectiveness came the same week that results from another US study showed that another JAK inhibitor improved hair growth in 40 percent of patients.

One success story of baricitinib is Tracy Watkins, 53, from North London, who has been using this drug every day since she was diagnosed with alopecia areata in May 2019. everything,’ says one’s mother. “Every time I touched my hair, strands were coming out of my hands. It was torture.

After the doctor said nothing could be done, a friend told him about a private clinic that offered baricitinib. He was prescribed a dose of 4mg every day and started seeing results after four months.

“It was like little fluff showing off,” says Tracy, who uses her savings to pay for her drug money.

“Soon I completely covered the short curly hair and then it just kept growing.

“This is great. My hair is even thicker than before.”