Category Archives: AGA-201

Aclaris Therapeutics, AGA-201, ATI-50002, ATI-502

An Overdue Aclaris Update

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Update: February 29, 2020

Aclaris Exits Hair Loss Business

Recent rumors are, unfortunately, very true. Several days ago, I contacted Aclaris Therapeutics’ Head of Corporate Strategy Mr. Michael Tung. I asked him for any update on their androgenetic alopecia (AGA) JAK inhibitor product. His short and succinct response was as follows:

“We exited all of that unfort”.

I am disappointed, but was expecting this bad news. Their pipeline page no longer even shows any products to target AGA or Alopecia Areata (AA). Last year, they were searching for a partner to help further develop their “investigational compounds” ATI-501 (oral) and ATI-502 (topical).

Sorry to reader “nasa_rs”. However, not a big surprise after the past year of limited information releases by Aclaris regarding their alopecia products.

March 18, 2019

Aclaris JAK Inhibitor Trial Update

I used to cover Aclaris Therapeutics and its topical JAK inhibitor product for androgenetic alopecia fairly regularly. However, there have been very few significant recent updates.

Today morning, Aclaris released a summary of its FY 2018 results. The most relevant part for us concerns the ATI-502 topical Janus Kinase (JAK) 1/3 inhibitor product for AGA. They also seem to name this same product as AGA-201 and ATI-50002 in other references.

Per the latest news, Phase 2 open-label clinical trials for ATI-502 (a topical JAK1/3 inhibitor) involve 31 patients with AGA. Interim 6-month data are expected in the second quarter of 2019, while comprehensive 12-month data will be realized in the second half of 2019.

So by the end of this year, we should finally have at least some idea on whether JAK inhibitors can at least somewhat help patients with AGA (aka male pattern hair loss).

The trials will measure both safety and efficacy.

We already know beyond a doubt that JAK inhibitors significantly help people with the less common alopecia areata. As well as thos with its various related forms (alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis).

Aclaris Therapeutics, AGA-201, ATI-502, JAK Inhibitors

Aclaris Announces Positive 6-Month Results for Androgenetic Alopecia

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Update: July 2020 — Unfortunately, Aclaris ceased work on JAK inhibitors and androgenetic alopecia in 2020. Moreover, new findings from July 2020 suggests that JAK inhibitors do not help AGA sufferers.

Update: Dr. Neal Walker interview.

Note: Some great photos are in their investor presentation from today. Pasting a couple below after getting permission.

Aclaris JAK Inhibitor Before After Male
Aclaris topical JAK inhibitor before and after photo in a great responder.

Aclaris Topical JAK Inhibitor Works for AGA

Huge news from Aclaris Therapeutics. They have just announced that their much anticipated topical Janus Kinase (JAK) inhibitor product (ATI-502) gave positive hair growth results in patients with androgenetic alopecia (AGA).

The results are for their interim 6-month Phase 2 open-label clinical trials of ATI-502 (also called AGA-201) in humans. 22 males and females participated in the trials till completion, including hair growth measurements. They applied ATI-502 to their scalp twice daily for 26 weeks.

Investigators rated 73% of subjects (16/22) as experiencing increased hair growth, and a higher 82% of subjects thought they saw increased hair growth through self-assessment.

Topical JAK Inhibitor Hair Growth
Modest hair growth after topical JAK inhibitor application for 6 months.

For a long time, many people did not believe that JAK inhibitors could result in hair growth in patients with androgenetic alopecia (i.e., male pattern hair loss). All the results in humans to date had only shown efficacy in patients with alopecia areata (AA), an inflammatory rather than hormonal condition.

Aclaris JAK Inhibitor Trials to Continue

I may add more to this post later, but for now the most significant quotes:

“The overall change was an increase of 8.6 hairs/cm2. Target area hair count increase was 15.3 hairs/cm2 in female subjects and 5.6 hairs/cm2 in male subjects.”

Per Aclaris CEO Dr. Neal Walker:

“This finding demonstrates that inhibiting a non-hormonal and inflammatory-mediated pathway may be an option for the treatment of AGA.”

“Through recent formulation work, Aclaris can achieve significantly higher topical concentrations of ATI-502.”

There was one “unrelated” case of breast cancer among the trial patients, but no-one else had any adverse side effects. I am sure everyone will look in detail at the side effect rates when 12-month trials are completed.

In the first half of 2020, Aclaris plans to initiate a double-blind, randomized, controlled Phase 2 dose-ranging clinical trial with higher concentrations of ATI-502. “With potentially, a female focus.” I hope that just means more females than males, and not just “only” females.

I do not think that this will be a cure for male and female pattern hair loss by any means. Perhaps a highly effective treatment in some patients. Moreover, for those of us who have major itching associated with our hair loss, perhaps we also have an inflammatory component to our hair loss as I have postulated in the past. Maybe the itchiest patients will see the best results?

Worth checking out ACRS stock price movement today.

Congratulations to the biggest JAK inhibitors for AGA fan of them all: blog reader “nasa_rs”.