People who suffer with hair loss may be in with a chance of growing their hair back as a new drug is being praised for producing amazing results.
According to The Sun, studies have shown that nearly half the people who used the drug managed to get their locks back within as little as six months.
It's also been reported that scientists have claimed the treatment marks “an important milestone” in creating a new drug to aid baldness.
The pill, which is to be taken twice each day, is aimed at targeting a condition called alopecia areata.
It's quite a common condition, according to the NHS, which is thought to affect around 15 in 10,000 people in the UK and can impact different ages groups.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that causes the hair follicles to be mistakenly attacked by the immune system, which results in hair falling out.
For some people, it may only result in a few bald patches, and could see their hair grow back over time but, for others, it can cause dramatic hair loss.
There is no known cure at the moment, but some drugs can help the hair to grow back.
Drug company Concert Pharmaceuticals worked with 706 people in America who had moderate to severe alopecia areata, and split the volunteers into groups.
One group was prescribed a 8mg pill to be taken twice a day, while another tried a 12mg dose to be taken twice a day. Another group was given a placebo.
It was reported "a statistically significant proportion of patients” who consumed the pills experienced greater scalp regrowth compared to those who took the dummy drug.
In addition to this, nearly 42% and 30% of patients saw at least 80% of their hair return when taking the 12mg dose or 8mg dose.
It was noted that some patients did experience side affects such as headaches and acne, but the trial marked the last phase of clinical trials of the alopecia drug called CTP-543.
The experiment was said to be the "highest standard of study", and was also reported to be carried out at random, double-blind and placebo-controlled.
Dr Brett King, a dermatologist at Yale University School of Medicine who is involved in the study, said: “Today marks an important milestone in advancing new treatments for alopecia areata.
"I’m so happy to see such positive results from the first Phase 3 trial with CTP-543.
“There is a great need for treatments for this challenging disease.
"The results from the THRIVE-AA1 trial suggest that CTP-543 may potentially provide an important therapy for treating alopecia areata.”
He also noted that “CTP-543 has the potential to be a best-in-class treatment for patients with alopecia areata, a disease that has long been ignored."
The firm now hopes drug regulators at the FDA will give the thumbs up to CTP-543 to enable it to be “one of the first” treatments for alopecia areata in the US.
The NHS says hair loss is quite common, and is often nothing to worry about.
Sometimes it can be temporary, and things such as stress, weight and lack of iron can cause it to happen.
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