Baldness cure could be found in an osteoporosis drug, study finds
Scientists based in England now want a clinical trial
By David Reid
A drug originally designed as a treatment for the bone-thinning disease, osteoporosis, is being considered as a possible breakthrough treatment for bald people.
Currently only two drugs — minoxidil and finasteride — are available for treatment of male-pattern balding (androgenetic alopecia). A project by The University of Manchester’s Centre for Dermatology Research in England began work by examining an immunosuppressive drug that had long been known to cause hair growth as a side effect.
This drug, Cyclosporine A (CsA), has been commonly used since the 1980s to suppress transplant rejection and autoimmune diseases. The project team discovered that CsA restricts a protein that when otherwise left alone, slows the growth of hair follicles. Hair growth, however, is the least problematic side-effect of CsA, leading project leader, Nathan Hawkshaw, to look for another solution.
After some research, he discovered that a separate compound developed to tackle osteoporosis also suppressed the bald-causing protein in the same manner. Better yet, scientists believe this drug, titled “WAY-316606,” can be administered without dramatic side-effects.
