Arthritis drug restores up to 100% hair in severe alopecia patients, study finds

An arthritis drug has been found to restore up to 100% of hair in patients with severe alopecia, according to a new study.

Around 2% of the world’s population lives with alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder where the immune system mistakes hair follicles for harmful invaders.In an industry-funded Phase 3 randomized trial, scientists tested low and high doses of the anti-inflammatory drug upadacitinib against placebo.

The trial involved 1,399 participants aged 12-64, including 118 adolescents, who were missing at least 50% of their scalp hair. The parallel trials ran for 24 weeks.

Results appeared early — by week 8, both dosage groups showed notable reduction in hair loss compared to placebo.

By the end, 44% of participants taking 15mg had improved scalp and eyebrow coverage to 80%. For those on 30mg, 55% achieved the same, suggesting higher efficacy with the higher dose.

Between 13% and 22.5% of participants on the drug got all their scalp hair back, depending on dosage.

Many also scored higher on quality of life measures, including for depression.“In a disease often associated with sizable psychosocial and emotional burden, translation of clinical responses into meaningful patient-reported improvements becomes imperative to deem a treatment to be efficacious,” the authors wrote.

Safety data showed a small number of serious side effects, including breast cancer in one patient who had concerning mammogram results before the trial began. Two other serious events were possibly linked to the drug, but both were in individuals at very high risk for health complications. No deaths were reported and no novel side effects emerged.

The study was funded by a company that produces upadacitinib and included its employees, though it passed independent peer-review. Researchers say further independent studies are needed before it can become an approved alopecia treatment.