You can only appreciate just how powerful a source of confidence hair can be when it begins to fall out excessively. But sudden hair loss is not merely an aesthetic concern. This change is often a sign of much deeper problems within the body. Still, there is excellent news for people with alopecia. By approving a new systemic drug for alopecia, the European Commission has officially broken new ground, while its ease of use will bring particular relief.
As reported by Dermatology Times, the European Commission has approved upadacitinib (known under the brand name Rinvoq) in 15 mg and 30 mg doses for daily oral use. It is an oral JAK inhibitor, a smart molecule that specifically targets the immune pathways responsible for the body attacking its own hair follicles.
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Who is the new alopecia treatment for?
The treatment has been approved for adults and adolescents over the age of 12 who suffer from severe alopecia areata. This condition causes sudden, extensive and, in many cases, complete hair loss, including the loss of eyebrows and eyelashes. The approval offers new hope to patients with severe forms of the condition for whom conventional topical therapies, such as creams or shampoos, have failed to deliver results.
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Photo: Getty Images
What was the drug’s approval based on?
The European Commission’s decision is based on the extensive global Phase 3 UP-AA program, which included 1,399 patients:
- Fast, visible results within 24 weeks: After just 24 weeks of treatment, a significant number of patients achieved the primary goal of at least 80% scalp hair coverage.
- Complete regrowth in some patients: Upadacitinib stood out as one of the few treatments to produce complete scalp hair regrowth by week 24, in around 14% of patients receiving the lower dose and up to 23% of those receiving the higher dose.
- Long-term progress (52 weeks): With continued treatment for up to 52 weeks, the rate of complete hair regrowth rose to between 27% and 37%.
- Eyebrow and eyelash density: An exceptionally important aesthetic and psychological aspect of this treatment is that the study also confirmed statistically significant eyebrow and eyelash regrowth.
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Tolerability of the new alopecia treatment
As with any systemic therapy that modulates the immune system, clinical trials also monitored the treatment’s safety. Most reported side effects were mild to moderate, most commonly acne and mild upper respiratory tract infections, while the rate of treatment discontinuation due to side effects was extremely low.