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.

Dutasteride, Minoxidil

Dutasteride and Minoxidil Before and After Photos

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When I originally wrote this post, I focused on topical Minoxidil and oral Dutasteride combination hair loss treatments. Nowadays, it seems like oral Minoxidil plus oral Dutasteride has become the gold standard combination treatment among some doctors. Some also add injection Dutasteride into the mix.

Make sure to also read my post on before and after hair growth photos from Finasteride and Minoxidil.

Oral Dutasteride plus Oral Minoxidil

In March 2021, Dr. Sergio Vano (Spain) and Dr. Bevin Bhoyrul (Australia) posted interesting before and after success story photos on Twitter. Both doctors made use of oral Minoxidil and oral Dutasteride (aka Avodart).

Dr. Vano tends to offer both oral and injection Dutasteride in the beginning, with the patient deciding on one or both after a year.

Oral Dutasteride and Oral Minoxidil Hair Growth
Oral Dutasteride and Oral Minoxidil Hair Growth Results. Dr. Bhoyrul and Dr. Vano.

Jan 3, 2019

In my previous post on Dutasteride injections for hair loss, I showed an incredible before and after photo. That male patient was taking taking Dutasteride (oral and injection) in combination with oral Minoxidil. This person was treated by Dr. Sergio Vañó-Galván from Spain. The doctor later sent me a number of other before and after photos of his hair loss patients. All of them saw significant hair growth while on some variation of this Dutasteride (oral and/or injection) and Minoxidil (topical or oral) combination treatment.

I was debating on whether these new photos were worthy of a new post, and concluded in the affirmative. Sometimes people forget about the excellent existing hair loss treatment medications out there that have been proven to work really well for many patients.

Of course one must be willing to risk potential side effects of these medications. Most published studies suggest very few people get major permanent side effects from Dutasteride, but it is up to you to do your own research and reach your own conclusions. Note that Dutasteride is only approved in several countries to treat hair loss as of 2019. However, it is approved as an enlarged prostate treatment all across the world.

Dr. Sergio Vañó-Galván was on the organizing committee of the 11th World Congress for Hair Research that took place in Barcelona in 2019. He is also on the Board of Directors of the EHRS.

Oral Dutasteride plus Topical Minoxidil Hair Growth

For those getting side effects from oral Minoxidil or fearful of taking it, topical Minoxidil is always a good alternative. Below are some great hair regrowth results of men who took topical Minoxidil 5% and Dutasteride.

Patient 1: Dutasteride injections plus oral Dutasteride plus 5%  topical Minoxidil at 12-months.

Dutasteride and Topical Minoxidil -- 12 Month Hair Growth

Patient 2: Dutasteride injections plus oral Dutasteride plus 5% topical Minoxidil at 12-months.

Dutasteride plus Topical Minoxidil Hair Growth at 12 Months

Patient 3: Dutasteride injections plus oral Dutasteride plus 5% topical Minoxidil at 12-months.

Dutasteride and Topical Minoxidil Hair Growth Before After

Oral and Injection Dutasteride

One can also ignore Minoxidil entirely and just focus on Dutasteride (oral and injection combination treatment) if desired. Note that Dutasteride injections are sometimes termed as mesotherapy.

Patient 4: Oral Dutasteride plus mesotherapy with Dutasteride 0.05% once every three months.

Dutasteride Mesotherapy Before and After

Female Hair Loss Treated with Oral Minoxidil

Women are not given Dutasteride if trying to get pregnant. However, females are allowed to take oral Minoxidil at any time if healthy. However, women should note that oral Minoxidil can cause excessive body hair (hirsutism) as a side effect.

Patient 5: Oral Minoxidil 1 mg/day at 12-Months in a female.

Oral Minoxidil Hair Growth in a Female: Before and After