I have covered both Follicum and Cassiopea numerous times on this blog in the past. Both companies just provided important new updates.
Follicum is based in Sweden and has done a stellar job in updating us regularly when it comes to the company’s peptide-based FOL-005 topical hair loss product. Projected release date: Probably 2022.
Cassiopea is based in Italy. Last year I mentioned how several very well known insiders of the hair loss industry have emailed me about their excitement in regards to Cassiopea’s Breezula topical antiandrogen product. Projected release date: Officially listed on their site as 2022.
Follicum Update
Follicum provided us with two updates this week.
- The first was an important February 4th press release. In animal model in vivo testing, Follicum’s FOL-005 hair loss product was as successful as Minoxidil 5% in growing new hair. Moreover, while the latter must be used twice per day, FOL-005 need only be applied once per day.
Since results were dose dependent, I am hopeful that the company will test higher doses in future that may give even better new hair growth results. Considering that to-date, only two products (Finasteride and Minoxidil) have ever been officially approved to treat male pattern hair loss, this development is groundbreaking if true.
- On February 9th, BioStock magazine published an interview with Follicum’s Research & Development director Maria Ekblad. Original Swedish version here. It seems like the latest version of FOL-005 that is being tested is a new formulation.
One interesting point made was that Follicum only managed to test the product for 3-month results in humans in recently completed Phase IIa trials. Ms. Ekblad hopes that longer-term usage will give even better results.
Follicum has historically worked with researchers at Charité Hospital (Berlin, Germany) and Bioskin (Hamburg, Germany). In late 2018, the company announced that they were now also working with the Centre for Skin Sciences at the University of Bradford (UK).
I would be very surprised if this once-a-day home use FOL-005 cream-like product ends up being less effective than Minoxidil. Unfortunately, it will probably not be released till 2021 at the earliest.
Update: Follicum has entered into a collaboration with Bioglan to make their FOL-005 hair loss topical cream. Follicum is also on target to get final US patent approval soon that will grant rights through 2032.
Cassiopea Summarizes 2018
Yesterday, Cassiopea (Italy) provided an update of its 2018 results.
Both the company’s hair loss product (Breezula) and acne product (Winlevi) are based on a synthetic antiandrogen called Clascoterone. Six-month interim Phase II results for Breezula® used in solution form in men with androgenic alopecia demonstrated statistically significant improvement in:
- Target Area Hair Count (TAHC)
- Hair Growth Assessment (HGA)
Nothing too meaningful as yet, but: there is excitement in the hair loss world about this product due to some results that were presented by Cassiopea at a conference in 2018. I cannot divulge my sources.
I would be surprised if Breezula does not provide significantly superior results to Spironolactone (another antiandrogen) in regrowing hair. Otherwise, it would not be worth pursuing.
Moreover, this product will be in topical form, and most likely result in minimal side effects. Most oral antiandrogens have significant side effects.
I was just told I’m not a candidate for a HT. I’m NW2.5, with diffuse thinning, and my donor area is low density for HT. Will I still be able to get hair cloning, or any of these new treatments coming out or am I doomed?
Better try out for derma roller with minox.
Do You have any results on this regimen?
There’s a 99% chance dermarolling with minoxidil will do absolutely nothing lol
There is a 98% chance that topical Minoxidil if better absorbed will give better results.
Take finasteride so you don’t lose anymore. I was NW2.5 10 years ago. I am now 37 and a NW6.
I’ve been on fin since 2007, I’m 34 now. It’s maintained my hair, but last 2 years it’s getting thinner.
Then hope, like me, that these near future treatments work. Finasteride stops working after 10 years. You have already got the full use out of it. You would otherwise have been like me if you had not taken any.
I think Shiseido are the most promising. They paid millions to complete the Replicel product. They have the cash to buy all the supposed emerging cures but they only bought the Replicel one. Why? What in their extensive due-diligence did they find that made them think scrap the others, but these Replicel people might have something. I’m just following the money.
But what if my donor area is weak? How will I benefit from Shiesdo?
Could you provide clinical data that supports your claim of Finasteride only working for 10 years please? I’m interested having maintained on it for over 12 years now.
Propecia still working for me. On it 10+ years. I’m getting a HT next month.. deciding between FUE and FUT. I heard FUT has better results? More grafts? And I could hide scar with SMP?
Thoughts?
Don’t get a HT. The scarring on the back of your head is bad enough. The scarring in the transplant area is terrible. You’ll never be able to shave your head again. I’ve had several and regret them every minute of every day I’m alive. As bad as balding is, hair Transplants make it much much worse. Do not do it. I listened to my mom when I was 19 and its absolutely destroyed my life. It’s not just stick hair in there. You’ll likely hate the transplants and then you’ll eventually want to shave it, but you won’t be able to because Scarring cobblestone skin. Save your money for when a real cure comes. Trust me.
Do you have to wear a hairpiece now or do you just settle as is???
How has been the sides this entire time to this day ?
How has been the sides during all that time to this date ?
0, just able to keep my hair.
Alexander. Shave your hair very close and get high quality, subtle SMP ink. You can have a couple of FUE sessions to give it a nice 3D look that’ll convince anyone. Never get an FUT strip scar. Think about getting some nice glasses or a beard to soften your look. That’s truly the formula to stay young and tough looking (no weak thin hair). That’s a partial cure in my opinion. Then, when a real cure is available, you can go for that too. Good luck!
Bad idea. I know people who have had the SMP ink and it doesn’t look all that natural. Probably ok if you have black hair but that’s a big maybe. Do not get a transplant. The scarring on the back AND TRANSPLANT AREA creating a cobblestone appearance will ruin your life. Shave your head and wait for a cure. It’s coming soon enough
David, So you’re someone who doesn’t recommend that anyone have any work done. The SMP work I’ve received is phenomenal in coordination with my hair transplants. The SMP is subtle and highly refined work that adds a grayish brown shadow (looks exactly like my 5 oclock shadow). Up close, it looks indistinguishable from shaved follicles under the skin. It’s undetectable and absolutely the best option for a young guy to stay young looking IMO. I had FUE with zero scarring whatsoever. That said, the FUT strip scars were the negative life changers for me unfortunately, so I try to speak against those wherever possible. High quality SMP and FUE will help significantly and not limit your options in the future. As with anything, it’s about finding the right person for the job.
where did you get it done? did it fade a lot? and would it work well into scars?
Don’t forget when your hair grays as you get older
Start using avodart every other day. Use this regimen for at least 6 months then assess you progress and decide whether you want to use it everyday for additional regrowth. You can shed a bit especially in front but don’t worry it will regrow.
I asked the administrator to put up my comment as I am being very serious. I went to Bernstein Medical a while back in New York which is suppose to be the number#1 hair transplant company in New York. I like you have DUPA. I asked about hair cloning. Now I am not going to lie or sugarcoat this. Dr Bernstein said hair cloning was out too for me. When I asked why he said, picture taking a hair from an unsafe zone and transferring it to the front of your head. Even if it worked out the transplant eventually that transplant ed hair would die as it was not in a safe zone. With hair cloning it is the exact same thing. You have NO SAFE ZONE, so transplanting your hair from the back would be useless as it would just fall out again. Sorry it’s true
How is this exciting if it is only as good as Minox? Once a day versus twice a day will not move the needle for most people, especially since Minox is generic and cheap. It would be exciting if it was 10x better than Minox.
1) Minox works via a different mechanism. And causes side effects or does not work in some.
2) Finasteride works via a different mechanism. And causes side effects or does not work in some.
3) Now you have two new topical most likely safe candidate drugs that both work via yet again different mechanisms. And nothing has been approved to treat hair loss in 20 years or thereabouts. So FDA approval in and of itself would be a huge deal.
4) Both drugs can still end up being better than Minox as clearly stated in the post. At the moment, the worst case scenario seems to be “as good as Minoxidil”.
If you are lucky and all 4 of the above listed treatments work for you… well some people will still find a reason to whine I am sure :-(
Admin, I only have 1 source, but a good one, and, by chance, I was also told recently that there was a lot of excitement in the industry about Breezula. To your point about why this is exciting, I would add that we do not currently have a treatment that will permanently stop hair loss. We have treatments that will do so for a period of time (Fin and Dut), but if we had a new treatment that could either permanently stop hairloss or at least do so for another 5-10 years, because it worked by a different mechanism, that would be huge for many people. Not to mention that a treatment working thru a different mechanism, would likely bring at least some measure of new growth. It may not be the game changer, but a solid bridge would be sorely welcome.
Thanks PinotQ, glad to hear that you also have a reputable source saying the same thing!
Oral Dutasteride has worked quite well for me at just 0.5mg once every two days, but I am probably getting some side effects :-(
Would love to try out topical Breezula and topical Follicum when they come out.
I have minor crown area hair loss and lots of hair shedding. Propecia gives me side effects. All I want is a new treatment that will stop shedding. This would be great, but wish it was sooner than 2022.
Crown glory we all wish it were sooner my man,we all do.
When aclaris will disclose their trial results??
In march??
A wee bit too far away but …. It feels like 2016 was not that long ago. 3 years or so ain’t that long in the grand scheme of things. I gotta admit id be a bit disappointed if it was just the same as rogaine or fin …. technology is suppose to get better after 20 years not remain the same. I get that no sides would be nice but its been 20 years. This product will fail if it gives the same results as the 2 other treatments but is more expensive…. Although more options is never a bad thing.
Another issue is whether it’s just another drug that works primarily on the crown area. I’ve got a receding hairline that has been begging for a few sprouts since 1986. My crown is good to go – I don’t need too much there.
breezula could be the hair loss savior but as always many men really dont understand even in 2022 when this releases its still an AA. You wont go from NW 3 back to NW 1 it will mostly keep hair but once your bald that is it. This wont change that.
This will be the savior for safe prevention and that is a huge thing, but 2022 is so so far away. That is a very long time.
Anyone browse the trinov threads? Still very early but saw some pictures showing a little regrowth and all the comments seemed positive. Maybe it could be added to current regimens if it turns out to be legit.
Now that this thread is almost over I’ll just toss in my Hope that they have ANYTHING that can grow hair in 2019. I’ll stay positive and leave my message at that.
At the moment all we can do is our best. Although its starting to empty my wallet more and more as i need to keep adding things.
Keeping your scalp in optimal condition is very important. Use sls and paraben free shampoo. Use a sls and paraben free shampoo with ketoconazole twice a week. Take finasteride. (not all generic brands of finasteride have been the same for me.. And the best one i ever used was discontinued.) take collagen with a little vitamin c (not only does it contain the right amino acid proteins for your hair but it helps with the facial aging/skin that some people complain about with minox) take a daily multi vitamin. Zinc at 50-100mg a day will also block dht and help skin. But dont take zinc for more than a few months without having a zinc free period for a few months and then start again. Use decent minoxidil. I have mine compounded by a pharmacist. If you want it to penetrate more get them to add tretinoin, or buy it online and add it yourself. Take something for your hair loss related stress. Ashwaghanda, ginseng and rhodiola is a good mix. They are adaptogenic herbs. Biotin could help. If you do all of these things then you should atleast be able to stop the shedding. Dont forget to get your thyroid and blood work tested. Dht levels and vitamin levels. If fin gives you sides, try saw palmetto or even dutasteride (it actually has less side effects than fin for some people believe it or not.) applying minox on a damp scalp will also help it absorb better. Eat healthy and get your blood flowing.
On HT someone emailed Organ Technology recently and they said him “The method of recruiting clients and clinical trials or subjects are undecided now”. This sounds to me like they will not start human trails for another two years or so. Forget about march. It is a disaster.
You got all that from what that guy posted? It wasn’t even translated very good lol I’d just let March get here first then conjecture.
I am 46 years old, I have fought against baldness for 25 years … I hope I can have a full head of hair when I’m 50, just to see how it feels, the great fun is over …
Exactly the same for me. I’m 46, (Jan 6) and started balding at 21. Ran my hand through my hair after a shower and was shocked to see my hand with hair all over it.
Yeah, same boat. 42 and most of the “fun” of having great hair is over anyway. But it still would be nice to have a full head going into aging, just to feel what it’s like and perhaps take some stress of from other age related issues.
lorence .. I feel yah. I started balding at 19, and I got pluggy transplants with linear strip scars at age 20 thru 23. I’ve been forced to hide the unattractive failure with a wig for the past 15 years. Hair loss cures were promised 10 years ago, but have likely been squelched by the establishment wig industry (Hair club etc..). My youth is all but gone. What can you do?
Same story for me. I’ve had 6 transplants and it still doesn’t look good. Terrible. Ruined my life. But I disagree the wig industry is holding down any cures. The company that solves hair loss will be trillionaires. No way in hell the wig industry is that powerful
So another year until they release results and then another year or more after that while they negotiate with other pharmaceutical companies to license or sell off the patent. Just 5 more years…
I think the time has come to get a hair transplant. Has anyone gone to Erdogan in Turkey and gotten one? My thinking is a transplant now that should last me 10 years as I’m about a Norwood 2.5 and then, with any hope, Tsuji’s unlimited donor hair cloning tech will be available and cheap enough that it’s accessible. Thoughts?
Do not get a hair transplant. Very expensive, very painful.
@admin – perhaps show my post hair transplant video in an upcoming post to let them know what they are signing up to.
I had a hair transplant in 2009. Neither very painful or very expensive. Dr Rahal was the surgeon. Results have lasted.
They’re awful. You can’t ever shave your head as the scarring in the back AND in the recipient area is really bad. They don’t tell you that. Hair transplants are awful and ruined my life
You have scarring in the recipient area? I didn’t know that. But still, the point of getting a hair transplant is that you don’t have to shave your head.
Why did a hair transplant ruin your life? Did it not work? Did you get it done by a reputable surgeon? Curious. Tons of people say it was one of the best decisions of their life.
Very true
Im thinking the same way now also BillyZane !!
– you would think one of the Regenerative tech companies will have some options within 10 years
If they come out with a new Topical in 2020 I will give it a try. I assume it gives at least some results and that is a start. Count me in.
I swear this update didnt say Follicum could be out in 2020?
Question for diffuse thinners:
Have any of you had any luck with thickening your existing hair? Finasteride? Oral minox? Anything else?
The only thing that worked for me was hair fibers.
I used Toppik. I tried finasteride, PRP and a laser cap but with no luck. Hair fibers are cheap, but its getting the right colour and avoiding heavy rain or wind that can blow them out.
I’ve tried various sprays (Bouffe, Mane, Jamie Stevens, Toppik) and fibres, but I’ve yet to find one that looks half decent in daylight or bright light. We have bright overhead lights in our bathrooms, and they are very unflattering hair-wise!
Also, is it just me or have things gone quiet on the Tsuji front? I thought we were to have some sort of results in July? What happened to those?
See my August 12 post on Tsuji Paul! :-) Lets give them till end of this year to make an announcement.
Cheers! Willl do.
Here’s to hoping! This website gives weekly hope :-)
Hey admin,
I was watching a YouTuber talking about his hair transplant results done in Harley Street. In the video, he talks with a doctor from the clinic who mentioned that there are two very exciting discoveries: Trapa Japonica and Japanese Hedgehog Mushrooms. Maybe worth taking a look. The Youtuber is called Mike Thurston, it’s on his last video.
Cheers!
Thanks, there are so many natural products that seem to improve hair! Lots of studies from Asia on various sea vegetables and seaweed benefiting hair. But I doubt any of them will regrow long lost hair. Regarding the products you mentioned, probably a few studies on those too. e.g.,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31088549
I took some mushrooms recently to try and halt my hair loss. I could not tell if they worked because there is a dragon guarding the mirror :-)
I would like to ask a question: why do many people indicate finasteride as being responsible for prostate problems “prostatitis” if this is widely used to treat it?
David,
There até many people happy with their hair transplants. Maybe you did not get a good result because the doctor was not skilled.
You shoud not recommend people to do not have one based on your experience only.
Btw, you can correct your scar with FUE into It plus SMP.
I agree that there are really bad resulta, but there are also amazing results. A good doctor and strategy makes a lot of difference.
This Is It 2020.
I expect to use in 2020 some type of Topical whether it is Follicum, JAK or something else to get these hairs growing again. Its Time… and about Time.
@nasa_rs I’m fairly sure the update said that follicum wouldn’t be out by 2020?
Awesome, nasa_rs mentioned JAK, I was starting to worry about you, it’s been a while! Isn’t JAK on pause until they find a strategic partner to carry our clinical trials…if the current one even turn out to be promising?
Can’t wait to see who’s actually 1st to invent something decent
Thanks to the people behind this website. I don’t go really anywhere else for my hair loss news.
I still can’t believe the only FDA approved treatments are Minoxidil and Finasteride and those at best just stop hair loss and maybe grow some new hair. I’m sure there are outliers out there that get on it early and have significant improvements but we are almost in 2020 and the new topical treatments mentioned in this post seem satisfactory or little better then Min/Fin. I’m still hopeful that we will get something better
in the future even if its not a hair loss cure.
I guess everyone is waiting patiently for Tsuji
I know this is a generic and stupid question, but do you guys believe there will be anything out there within the next 2-3 year that will give people the option to stop hair loss (in case they still have a full head of hair) and even more optimistic something that will help people grow hair back on bald areas ?
Yes, somewhere in the middle of those two choices. However in the next couple years I’m not expecting cloning of stem cell treatments to be released/readily available to the general public. Some sort of treatment like Follica or Saumed my be on the market in 2-3 years with good results, probably not a silver bullet though.
Pepe no I do not. There have been far too many empty promises.
Tomjones is correct. There has be so many news articles on either a new treatment or a potential cure for hair loss every since Fin was approved by FDA. That was almost 27 years ago. And we still don’t really have anything.
I would be hopeful but by no means count on anything coming out. There are people out there praying something comes out one day and their hair just keeps getting worse and worse. Do what you can to manage your hair loss and the last resort should be a hair transplant and even with the ‘HT’ you won’t achieve full density. Some guys still use concealer with a ‘HT’.
Imagine if Jeff Bezos wanted to keep his hair. With his money and resources we would cured hair loss years ago.
Hopefully the concerns of the super rich would first extend to people with AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy, blindness, Ebola and the like.
It would be good for us to be served one day, but make no mistake our rightful place is nearer the back of the queue.
For a cure to work means it would have to alter our DNA so that are hair follicles would not be susceptible to DHT. That is very risky maybe even life threatening.
Hair multiplication is another alternative but most people don’t get that it literally is a hair transplant with unlimited donor hair so success rate would be similar to that of a fue hair transplant.
And we already know that altering our DNA is a
Scott, HIV infection, which is something you and I are more vulnerable to, will be cured within the next 10-20 years.
Google Crispr-Cas9 and LASER HRT!
Some forms of blindness will also be cured within the next 10-20 years.
2030-2040 will most probably be a decade of huge medical advancements and breakthroughs, equal to 1950-1960.
*ART
I cant commit to ever getting a hair transplant because for every good transplant, there is a bad one. And yes, the high profile surgeons are not perfect either so it’s still somewhat of a gamble. So bald I go.
Hair transplants are for men with low norwoods, 2-4. Among those men, most look mediocre, some decent and some bad.
In my opinion, there are very, very few ht on low-nw men that look exceptional.
If your dad or at least one of your granddads is a nw 5-7, there is no point in going through a hair transplant. The result is destined to be horrid, even if the most qualified surge operates!
For those men, the only option is hair multiplication. And that’s at least 5-10 years away…
I’ve held off on a hair transplant because even if it was good and undetectable to most eyes I’d know and would probably obsess over how it looked. However,I still have a decent amount of hair left, plus it’s thick which helps with the illusion of coverage. If my situation was different I’d give it more serious consideration. You really have to do work to make sure your going with the surgeon who is best suited to give you undetectable results, or close to it.
If nothing happens in the next 2 years I believe that slowly we will begin to abandon the idea of a cure for baldness, we are simply too tired of all these empty promises, at least I am.
Seems to be a lot of skepticism on here about transplants. Yet it is the most effective (not perfect) technology we currently have. My hair transplant has remained undetectable for 10 years. Literally no one knows unless I tell them. I used a top surgeon (Dr Rahal) who designed a hairline commensurate with my age; he and his skilled team did a great job. My hair is ultra fine yet still it looks natural.
While it’s harder to get coverage, I think fine hair has a better chance of a natural looking hairline. Most of the times I notice grafts it’s with think, course hair. Good for you that you took the plunge and are happy with your hair. Rahal appears to be a top notch surgeon, I’d seriously consider him If I ever get to the point of having a procedure.
Thanks Yoda. Good luck.
Hate Da BS, you are wrong. There are many people happy with their ht, even those who are nw5 or even nw6.
Hts are not going to bring your teenager hairline back, but can give you a natural coverage If done by a skilled doctor.
I did mine in 2001 and nobody ever noticed. Btw, i am a nw5.
Don’t create rules based on your point of view. Maybe you should research more before posting your perception.
I’ve met thus far 50-60 ht-ed men because of my working part-time at a well-known ht clinic in Athens, Greece (I’m a plastic surgery resident, btw).
It’s true that most of them are content with the result, but none of them has natural-looking, dense hair and many, especially those older than 35, have a huge bald spot on their crown.
That’s called making huge compromises and lying to your own self about the result you got.
In a nutshell, neither is wrong. You are just okay with mediocre results, because most probably the idea of being bald terrifies you. On the other hand, I’m not okay with mediocre results, because you PAY thousands of bucks for mediocre results AND are left with nasty SCARS (and I, as a plastic surgeon, hate scars!) for life (well, until we find effective ways to reduce those b@stards to minimum!).
Nonetheless, mediocrity cannot be ignored just because some people happen to be happy with it.
If that was applied everywhere, we’d be still living in caves…
What nonsense Da BS. There are many many men happy with HT with superb (not mediocre) results. You are putting words in the mouths of people you’ve never met. I can imagine which well known clinic you refer to in Greece. I am UK based and travelled to Canada for my HT. Researched intensively for a year beforehand and discounted such clinics are yours. My scar is minuscule. When the nurse back in the UK removed my sutures she said it had been “beautifully” done. You pay for what you get.
Have no time for ht shills.
People can decide on their own.
I simply discourage them to proceed with a ht, if they are likely to develop a high nw.
ITS NOT WORTH IT!
Ps. Yes we are terrified of being bald and no shame in that. Stop judging us.
Well, i payed thousand of bucks for a great and natural looking result. Maybe the 50 people you saw need to find a better clinic to repair their mediocre results.
Read my name.
Did you really think I’d be willing to engage further in this bs?
Most ht yield mediocre results. Period!
Oh, Period! Why didn’t you say so.
Paul R I would love to see your results if that is possible?
I have a Dr friend that says there is great optimism about exosome therapy. I haven’t read into much but there are clinics offering it. I would keep an eye on Dr Cole’s work in Atlanta, as well as Dr Grecco on Tampa. They are pushing the envelope and very intelligent people.