Posted on 06/19/2014 10:36:41 AM PDT by Red Badger
BOSTON (CBS) – Scientists at Yale may have discovered quite the off-label use for an FDA-approved arthritis drug.
During a trial, which stretched for eight months, a 25-year-old man with almost no hair on his body grew a full head following treatment with the drug. He reported no noticeable side effects.
The patient was suffering from a rare, highly visible disease known as alopecia universalis, which has no cure or approved long term treatment.
The disease causes the loss of almost all body hair.
According to scientists involved in the trial, the patient also grew eyebrows, eyelashes, and facial, armpit, and other hair.
“The results are exactly what we hoped for,” said Brett A. King, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine and senior author of a paper reporting the results online June 18 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. “This is a huge step forward in the treatment of patients with this condition. While it’s one case, we anticipated the successful treatment of this man based on our current understanding of the disease and the drug. We believe the same results will be duplicated in other patients, and we plan to try.”
The drug, called tofacitinib citrate has also been used successfully for treating psoriasis.
King has submitted a proposal for a clinical trial involving the drug.
(Photos courtesy Yale University)
Good question...................
I’ve got more ear hairs growing than there are cornstalks in Indiana.
I wonder if I can donate....
tofacitinib citrate - XELJANZ ( pronounced zel-jans ) is the first in a new class of treatments for moderate to severe RA. Called a Janus-associated kinase (JAK) inhibitor, it helps to reduce common RA symptoms such as joint pain, swelling, and stiffness.
Serious infections. XELJANZ can lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections. Some people have serious infections while taking XELJANZ, including tuberculosis (TB), and infections caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses that can spread throughout the body. Some people have died from these infections. Your healthcare provider should test you for TB before starting XELJANZ, and monitor you closely for signs and symptoms of TB infection during treatment. You should not start taking XELJANZ if you have any kind of infection unless your healthcare provider tells you it is okay.
Before starting XELJANZ, tell your healthcare provider if you:
I’ll pass.
Kojack (Telly Savalas) used to say the same thing. So maybe that Bald Mystique is not a myth after all.
Thinning hair bookmark.
Now, as soon as they've found a cure for regular, ol' alopecia, I'll be interested.
Regards,
Soon, you’ll be drinking a Pina Colada at Trader Vic’s.
Never been to London............
You and me both brother.
Sounds good. BTW, how is it for the arthritis?
I don’t know. ...........
product name?
getting a severe bald spot on the back of the head and the widow’s peak is getting worse.
But does the new head have hair?
Not a hair on my head (thanks Dad!) but I’m with you. Furthermore, the drug’s ability to do this for this young man probably has nothing to do with the good ol’ fashioned cause of male baldness, so I imagine it’s useless in that regard.
***eyebrows, eyelashes, and facial, armpit, and other hair***
Other hair? What could they possibly mean?
See post 25. :-)
Did he ever get the Heart of Gold back?
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