The First Innovation After 30 Years, Now There Is Oral Medicine To Overcome Women's Hair Loss

Illustration of hair loss (Photo: Freepik/Freepik)

JAKARTA - Hair loss is a very common problem, both in men and women. But even though many people experience it, treatment options are really effective and clinically proven to be very limited.

Over the past three decades, the two most known major drugs are only minoxidil (Rogaine) approved for outside use since 1991 and the finasteride (Propecia) approved for the use of male special orals in 1997.

Unfortunately, until now there has been no official oral drug for hair loss in women. However, new developments may change everything.

Reporting from Harper's Bazaar's page, a biotechnology company from Connecticut, Veradermics is developing a new drug specifically to deal with androgenetic alopecia or hair loss in the male and female patterns.

This drug is temporarily named VDPHL01. The form of this drug is oral minoxidil with periodic release (extended-release).

Even though oral minoxidil actually already exists, its use has been off-label (out of official permission) and was originally intended to treat blood pressure, not hair loss.

VDPHL01 has been in development since 2021 and is currently undergoing phase three clinical trials, including the first test involving women.

The main advantage of this drug is the way it works that releases active substances slowly so that:

- Continue to provide stable hair growth stimulation

- Reduces the risk of side effects, especially those related to the heart

- Does not require topical use which is sometimes troublesome

According to the CEO of Veradermics as well as a dermatologist, Dr. Reid Waldman, oral minoxidil usually moves too fast in the body so that the effect is quickly lost.

While VDPHL01 is designed to last longer in the body, about 1224 hours, thereby stimulating hair growth to a maximum.

Preliminary results show very positive developments. On phase two tests:

- More than 90% of participants showed an increase in the number of hair

- After 2 months, there was an increase of 37.5 percm2 hair on average

- After 4 months, it increased to 47.3 hairs per cm2

- Changes have been seen with the naked eye in just 2 months, much faster than the average hair loss treatment which usually takes 612 months.

The trial also involved participants of various hair types and skin tones, including tight curly hairs that often showed different routing responses.

The most important thing is that so far there have been no hormonal side effects such as those that can occur in finasteride and no serious side effects on the heart.

If clinical trial developments and results continue to be positive, Veradermics plans to apply for FDA approval around 2026. This means that this drug may only be available some time after that.

It is estimated that 85 percent of men and 50 percent of women will experience hair loss in their lives. This condition is not only a matter of appearance, but can also affect a person's confidence and emotional health.

The presence of VDPHL01 can be a big step in the world of hair care and has the potential to be the biggest breakthrough in the last 30 years.