Leqselvi approval tops Healio’s most-read alopecia news in 2024

Key takeaways:

• This year’s top alopecia articles include an FDA approval and a study of an oral contraceptive’s role in the disease.
• Content regarding minoxidil and metformin followed.

Major strides have been made in alopecia research in 2024. The FDA’s approval of the oral Janus kinase inhibitor Leqselvi was the most-read alopecia article on Healio this year, with studies about minoxidil and metformin also making the list.

Other top stories include a video about JAK safety and news regarding the effects of oral contraceptive pills.

FDA approves oral JAK inhibitor Leqselvi for severe alopecia areata in adults

The approval was supported by data from two multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 clinical trials, THRIVE-AA1 and THRIVE-AA2, and two open-label, long-term extension trials. Read more.

Oral contraceptive pill usage may be associated with frontal fibrosing alopecia

In this study, researchers investigated whether OCPs mitigate the protective effect of CYP1B1 on FFA risk. They collected data on 489 women with FFA (mean age, 65.8 years), 75.7% of whom had a history of OCP use. These women were matched with 34,254 controls (mean age, 65 years), 91% of which reported previous OCP use. Read more.

Most prescribers favor oral minoxidil for androgenetic alopecia

Researchers distributed a survey to 2,200 providers to gage their attitudes and recommendation behaviors for prescribing oral minoxidil to treat AGA. The survey received 201 responses, 81% of which were in support of using oral minoxidil to treat hair loss. Read more.

Low-dose metformin associated with central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia improvement

Down regulation of fibrotic processes and upregulation of keratinocyte proliferation was associated with low-dose metformin in patients with central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia. Read more.

Patients with alopecia see continual hair regrowth up to 68 weeks with deuruxolitinib

Deuruxolitinib showed significant hair regrowth for up to 68 weeks in patients with alopecia areata, according to a late-breaking presentation at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting. Read more.

Beneath the Surface: Addressing JAK inhibitor safety in alopecia with Brett King, MD, PhD

Beneath the Surface is a video series in which Joel M. Gelfand, MD, MSCE, Healio Dermatology Chief Medical Editor, discusses hot topics in the field with leading experts.

In this edition, Gelfand discusses the safety of JAK inhibitors for the treatment of alopecia areata with Brett King, MD, PhD, associate professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine and a member of Healio Dermatology’s Peer Perspective Board. Watch video.

Low-dose oral minoxidil shows similar results to topical treatment in alopecia

The double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial included 90 male patients with AGA, of whom 68 completed the study. Read more.

Topical finasteride, minoxidil combination efficacious in male androgenic alopecia

This study compared the efficacy of topical minoxidil 5% monotherapy with a combination of finasteride 0.25% and minoxidil 5%, as measured by improvements in Severity of Alopecia Tool scores. Read more.

Eirion Therapeutics initiates phase 1 trial for ET-02 for androgenic alopecia treatment

ET-02 is a topical pharmaceutical that targets returning hair follicle stem cells to normal function when they have become defective or inactive in men facing age-related hair loss. Read more.