Monthly Archives: April 2021

Dexpanthenol, Hyundai Pharm

Dexpanthenol for Hair Loss from Hyundai Pharm

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Dexpanthenol could be of use in treating hair loss in men and women. At the very least, in can improve the inflammation, itching and scalp discomfort that are often associated with androgenetic alopecia.

Dexpanthenol for Hair Loss
Hyundai Pharm’s new Dexnoxyl tablets contain Dexpanthenol to treat hair loss.

South Korea based Hyundai Pharm just released Dexpanthenol based over-the-counter (OTC) tablets to treat hair loss. The brand name is Dexnoxyl (image on right).

Hyundai Pharm claims that this is the first ever OTC hair loss treatment in South Korea. Each of the 120 tablets contains 100 milligrams of the key active ingredient Dexpanthenol (also called Panthenol).

Does Dexpanthenol work for Hair Loss?

TS Shampoo with Dexpanthenol.
TS Shampoo with Dexpanthenol (aka Panthenol).

Today is the first time that I ever heard of Dexpanthenol. However, it is “the alcohol analog” of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5). And Vitamin B5 is used in some of the best hair loss shampoos. Another South Korean company sells a Dexpanthenol containing shampoo called TS Shampoo. Reviews are not bad at 4.2/5 starts.

And yet another Korean company La’Dor sells a salicylic acid and Dexpanthenol containing product. The key ingredient in these shampoos supposedly helps dissolve excess secretion from the sebaceous glands (aka sebum). The latter is a key reason for problems such as dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis.

Interestingly, in 2020, a Turkish author wrote two papers in favor of Dexpanthenol being able to treat pattern hair loss:

  1. Dexpanthenol may be a novel treatment for male androgenetic alopecia (May 2020).
  2. Systemic Dexpanthenol as a novel treatment for female pattern hair loss (September 2020).

A related clinical trial started in Iran in 2019. Results were found to be positive, although the link seems to have disappeared. One of this blog’s readers pointed out that we need before and after photos before trusting these findings.

I would be very surprised if this new tablet product from Hyundai Pharm can regrow hair in totally bald areas of the scalp. However, I would not be surprised it it really does improve scalp health and reduces inflammation. Thereby possibly preventing more rapid progression in hair loss.

Note that Panthenol is widely used in various cosmetics and personal-care products (sprays, serums and topical lotions). It helps with moisturization and can stimulate collagen regeneration. Panthenol promotes the acetylation of choline to acetylcholine

Eye drops and nasal sprays also often contain Panthenol to combat dryness. Reported side effects are minimal and generally limited to skin irritation and inflammation.

Aneira Pharma, Cyclosporine, Latanoprost, Travoprost, Valkyrie Group

Aneira Pharma gets $25 million from Valkyrie Group

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A new hair loss company named Aneira Pharma has come to my attention thanks to reader “James”.

Aneira PharmaSeveral days ago, it was announced that Valkyrie Group will invest $25 million in Aneira Pharma. This is a substantial amount of money to invest in a hair loss startup. For comparison, RIKEN is only asking for $4.8 million and has already been conducting hair loss research for several decades.

Update: Valkyrie’s CEO answered some questions in the comments.

Valkyrie’s news page also has this story. The before and after photos on Aneira’s site are very impressive for a topical hair loss product. The current name for this product is ANR-001. Aneira has yet to start Phase 1 clinical trials in humans. However, based on the likely already-in-use ingredients in its hair loss product, I am hoping that future trials can proceed fast.

Aneira Pharma’s Hair Loss Patent

One of the members of our hair loss chat found the likely patent behind Aneira Pharma’s hair loss product. The inventor, John Wurst, is also Aneira’s founder, president and CEO. The patent was published in February 2021.

Among the extensive list of ingredients listed in the patent, the most frequently mentioned ones that will likely be in the product include:

  • Prostaglandin analogues, with Latanoprost being a certainty. Also possibly included will be Travoprost. Make sure to see my past posts on Bimatoprost, which caused a lot of excitement in the hair loss world a few years ago. Latanoprost and Travoprost are examples of prostaglandin F2α analogs. Bimatoprost is a prostamide F2α analog. All three of these products are used to treat glaucoma and reduce pressure in the eye. Bimatoprost (via the brand Latisse) has also been widely used in the cosmetic world to make eyelashes grow longer. Interestingly, John Wurst served as lead patent attorney for Latisse and other hair growth products in the past.
Latanoprost for Hair Growth
Latanoprost for hair loss presentation at the EHRS Conference in 2018.
  • Cyclosporine. See my past posts on Cyclosporine as well as on WAY-316606. A company named Rivertown Therapeutics was also using Cyclosporine in its hair loss product, but ended up shutting down last year.
  • Minoxidil. See my post on how Minoxidil works to treat hair loss. As of 2021, Minoxidil is still one of only two drugs ever approved by the US FDA to treat male and female pattern hair loss. With the other being Finasteride.

Interestingly, Aneira’s product will also make hair darker.

The word “Finasteride” also makes a number of appearances in the earlier mentioned patent. I hope they add topical finasteride into the mix too.