Pharmacological Treatment of Alopecia
October 2018
in “
InTech eBooks
”
minoxidil finasteride androgenetic alopecia spironolactone PCOS-related hair loss oral contraceptives anti-androgen glucocorticoids cyclosporin A autoimmune alopecia JAK inhibitors bimatoprost DPCP parathyroid hormone analogs stem cell therapy hair cycle Rogaine Propecia PCOS birth control pills Latisse
TLDR Only minoxidil and finasteride are FDA-approved for hair loss, with other treatments available but less effective or with side effects.
In 2018, Robert Gensure reviewed the state of pharmacological treatments for alopecia, noting that only minoxidil and finasteride were FDA-approved, with minoxidil showing hair regrowth in 40% of patients with androgenetic alopecia and finasteride resulting in a 30% increase in hair growth in males. Off-label treatments included spironolactone for PCOS-related hair loss and oral contraceptives with anti-androgen effects. Other treatments like glucocorticoids and cyclosporin A were used for autoimmune alopecia but had significant side effects. JAK inhibitors were promising but expensive and not long-lasting, while bimatoprost and DPCP had limited efficacy. The document also previewed emerging therapies, such as parathyroid hormone analogs and stem cell therapy, but acknowledged challenges like poor efficacy and severe side effects. Despite these issues, there was optimism for future treatments due to a robust development pipeline and advances in understanding the hair cycle.
