FDA Approves 1st Treatment for Sudden Hair Loss Caused By Autoimmune Disease Alopecia Areata

Food and Drug Administration alopecia Baricitinib Eli Lilly

By Joel Brussels , Parent Herald Jun 15, 10:41 am

Photo: (Photo : David Livingston/Getty Images)

There is some great news for parents suffering from a rare autoimmune disorder that causes their hair to suddenly fall out, often in clumps, as they now have a treatment option for the first time, according to Channel News Asia.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved on Monday, June 13, the drug baricitinib, a once-a-day pill developed by the drugmaker Eli Lilly to treat alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes sudden hair loss. The FDA initially approved Baricitinib back in 2018 to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

According to the FDA, the drug is part of a class of medicines known as JAK inhibitors. It is the first approved treatment in the United States for the medical condition, which affects more than 300,000 people in the country each year.

Alopecia took center stage after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, people with the autoimmune disease can experience hair loss anywhere on their body, including around the eyebrows, eyelashes, and scalp. According to the organization, the condition can develop at any age, though most people develop it during their childhood or teenage years.

Alopecia recently grabbed the national headlines after actor Will Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock at this year's Academy Awards after the comedian made a joke about actress Jada Pinkett Smith. The Oscar winner's wife suffers from a different form of alopecia than the one treated by Eli Lilly's drug.

Baricitinib helps regrow hair by preventing the body's immune system from attacking hair follicles. Two phase 3 clinical trials involving 1,200 patients suffering from severe alopecia areata found that about 40 percent of people who received a daily 4-milligram dose of baricitinib regrew all or almost all of their hair after 36 weeks (nine months).

That compares to about 20 percent of the people who received a lower 2-milligram dose of the drug and less than 6 percent of the people in the placebo group. People who participated in the trials had lost at least 50 percent of the hair from their scalp before taking the drug.

The drug is a breakthrough for people with alopecia.

Dr. Brett King, a Yale dermatologist who was the principal investigator for the two trials, told NBC News that the drug is a breakthrough for people with the autoimmune disorder, many of whom use wigs or scarves to hide their condition.

King explained that it is a devastating disease, saying, "Try to imagine you wake up with a spot one day. And then, imagine, three weeks later, or three months later, or three years later, imagine all of your hair going away."

Dr. Luis Garza, a dermatologist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who treats people with alopecia, said that he has had patients quit their jobs or avoid going out in public altogether over the stress of losing their hair. Garza was not involved in the research for the drug.