Is New Hair Loss Drug Really A Miracle Cure?

If you are suffering from severe hair loss, seeing a trichologist may seem the obvious thing to do. But you may also fear that there is only so much that can be done about the problem.

However, a new announcement by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been hitting the headlines, with some press reports hailing it as a ‘breakthrough drug’.

The drug, called ritlecitinib (also known as Litfulo), has been formally approved by the agency, meaning it can be offered to sufferers of alopecia areata on the NHS. It works by inhibiting the enzymes that cause inflammation in the follicles that leads to hair loss, giving sufferers the chance to enjoy fresh hair growth again.

So, does this mean that baldness will soon be a thing of the past and that all the trichologists can go and find new careers thanks to this one-a-day pill? Sadly, the answer is no.

The clue to this lies in the announcement itself, which notes that around 14,000 people could benefit from the drug. That amounts to a small fraction of the millions suffering hair loss to some extent. For example, by the age of 50, 85 per cent of men have experienced some form of hair loss.

Alopecia comes in different forms and alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease, which by nature makes it rare. What this new drug will do is offer specific hope for those whose hair loss is caused by this particular condition. That is great news for those 14,000, but it means everyone else is no nearer a cure today.

Of course, there is still plenty that can be done to help people with hair loss, whatever the many causes. This can range from hair transplants to tackling an iron deficiency or taking steps to reduce stress. The new miracle drug might not help everyone, but there is plenty else that can be done for other sufferers.