Drugs Prescribed for Autoimmune Diseases Helps Treat Baldness: Study

Drugs given to treat autoimmune diseases help regrow lost hair, finds a study.

Researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center gave the drug 'ruxolitinib' a different form of JAK inhibitors to 12 human patients with bone marrow disorders after testing it on laboratory mice. They found one of the male patients suffering from thinning hair and bald patch on face and head grew facial hair within just five months of receiving the drug, reports the Boston Globe.

Autoimmune conditions and diseases like alopecia areata result in severe hair loss. These effects occur due to genetic variation that specifically target and destroy hair follicles. The current research noted alopecia areata is caused by genetic mechanisms that are similar to diseases like myelofibrosis or an advanced form of leukemia.

Giving patients ruxolitinib or Tofacitinib suppresses autoimmune responses in the body that helps grow back body hair. These medicines are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"We've only begun testing the drug in patients, but if the drug continues to be successful and safe, it will have a dramatic positive impact on the lives of people with this disease," said Raphael Clynes, lead researcher from the  Columbia University in a news release, reports the NBC News.

"We still need to do more testing to establish that ruxolitinib should be used in alopecia areata, but this is exciting news for patients and their physicians," Clynes adds.

However, the authors are yet to confirm if the medicines will have similar effects on all patients and what are its side-effects. But, they believe these findings will help devise new treatment strategies to fulfil ' vast unmet needs' of patients.

More information is available online in the journal Nature Medicine.