Category Archives: Psoriasis

Androgenetic Alopecia, Latanoprost, Latanoprost Acid, Psoriasis

BioResearch Pharma BRP-011: Latanoprost Acid for Hair Growth

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Bioresearch Pharma BRP-011 Latanoprost Acid
Bioresearch Pharma BRP-011: Latanoprost Acid for Hair Growth.
Latanoprost Eyelash Hair Growth
Latanoprost Eyelash Hair Growth. Source: Nature, July 1998.

In just the past month, I covered two different companies working on a latanoprost based hair loss treatment (Canada-based Triple Hair and US-based Dermaliq). Both companies are almost certain to continue to Phase 3 clinical trials in the near future.

I also covered US-based Aneira Pharma and its latanoprost containing combination hair loss product in 2021. While the company has not updated its website for a few years, its patent application status page has been updated a few times in 2024.

Latanoprost is a prostaglandin F2α analogue eye medication that is meant to be used to treat glaucoma and ocular hypertension. It was approved for medical use in the US in 1996. An unusual side effect of latanoprost is increased and thicker eyelash hair growth. A rarer side effects is eyelash hair darkening (see image above from here).

BioResearch Pharma BRP-011: Latanoprost Acid for Hair Growth

Now comes news of BioResearch Pharma (Poland) working on a latanoprost acid based hair loss product called BRP-011. Thanks to “Ben” for posting a link to a very encouraging recent Polish magazine interview with CEO Lukasz Zybaczyński. This company was originally mentioned by “John Doe” in a comment earlier this year, and he also e-mailed me the above interview link.

According to the BRP-011 product page:

  • Latanoprost’s high skin penetration rate has raised concerns about potential systemic adverse side effects.
  • Consequently, latanoprost acid (an active metabolite of latanoprost) has emerged as an alternative option.
  • Latanoprost acid was initially dismissed as a potential topical treatment due to its low bioavailability.
  • However, BioResearch Pharma (BRP)’s chief scientific officer and co-founder Dr. Katarzyna Koziak has shown latanoprost acid to promote hair growth in a clinical setting involving indiviuals with androgenetic alopecia.

Note that BRP is only focusing on treating two conditions: androgenetic alopecia and psoriasis (via drug candidate BRP-007).

Commercialization in 2027

In the new CEO interview, the most interesting points relate to a very optimistic timeline forecast due to the nature of BRP’s products. Key quotes in bullet points (wording slightly modified by me):

  • BioResearch Pharma does not want to discover a new medicine and prove its safety, which usually takes years. The company intend to use an existing active substance in a new mechanism of action in a new route of administration. Regulatory agencies allow the registration of a medicine in a new therapeutic indication, using publications and data that are not the property of the applicant.
  • In the case of a new chemical molecule, the initial stages of the drug development process related to production and pre-clinical evaluation take around 5 to 7 years. In BRP’s repositioning process, they shorten this period to a year, relying on the past experiences of other pharmaceutical companies and patients. This method confirms safety standards.
  • In total, an up to 9 year process will be shortened to 2-3 years by BRP. i.e., much faster clinical trials.
  • In 2025, the company will begin the registration process.
  • The CEO anticipates commercialization after completing Phase I of clinical trials. This should happen by the end of 2026 for both projects (androgenetic alopecia and psoriasis). So commercialization in 2027.

The latter part of the interview relates to fundraising and a pending IPO.

Vitiligo, Brett King, Psoriasis, Tofacitinib

Arthritis Drug Tofacitinib Cures Vitiligo: Dr. Brett King

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I was not planning to write a post so soon after my prior one, but a new development from today is very interesting and exciting.

Regular blog readers will agree that last year’s most exciting developments in the hair loss world were alopecia areata being cured in a few patients. This feat was achieved by arthritis drug tofacitinib, and then again by bone marrow cancer drug ruxolitinib.

Dr. Brett King from Yale University led the work with tofacitinib, and he was interviewed on the Bald Truth show shortly thereafter. Most people on hair loss forums have not been too optimistic about a cure for alopecia areata also working on patients suffering from androgenetic alopecia (aka male pattern baldness). However, in that interview, Dr. King seemed to imply that it was definitely a possibility.

Since that time, myself and numerous others have eagerly hoped that Dr. King would start testing tofacitinib on patients suffering from male pattern baldness. This is by far the most common form of hair loss in both men and women.

Tofacitinib Cures Vitiligo

Instead, today Dr. King shocked the dermatological world for a second time for a totally different reason. Apparently, tofacitinib citrate cured one of Dr. King’s 53 year old female patient’s vitiligo. This latter condition is a devastating skin disease (Michael Jackson supposedly suffered from it).

Tofacitinib Vitiligo Reversal
Tofacitinib Vitiligo Reversal. Source: JAMA Dermatology.

Tofacitinib is a JAK 1/3 inhibitor that was approved by the US FDA in 2012 for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Below are the before and after images from Dr. King’s latest groundbreaking findings. The source of these images is the full study that can be found in JAMA Dermatology.

Quite a few media outlets have covered this study today, including the UK’s Telegraph and US based CBS News. Here’s to hoping that in 2016 (or sooner), Dr. King publishes yet one more study that finally shows tofacitinib also curing androgenetic alopecia. At least in some patients in which there is also an inflammatory component to the disease.

So far, all of Dr. King’s results from last year and this year suggest that tofacitinib does not lead to any kind of severe side effects when taken under doctor supervision. It should also be noted that Pfizer has filed for FDA approval to treat psoriasis with tofacitinib after successful phase 3 trials.  This is all very encouraging when it comes to the safety profile of this seemingly miraculous drug.

Finally, it seems like tofacitinib might also successfully convert white fat (bad) into brown fat (good).  An important study on this was published in 2014.