Over 1 million dollars worth of a new drug by the name of Amevive (Alefacept) has been donated to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation to be used in the latest FDA clinical trial for a hair loss treatment...
We are pleased to announce the NAAF has just received over $1 million worth of a T-Cell attacking drug, and over a $200,000 grant to help fund a multi-center clinical trial to determine how the drug Amevive (Alefacept) affects Alopecia Areata. This grant is from Biogen and will be distributed through the NAAF research grant program to selected investigators willing to design and take part in this trial. Biogen will also supply the drugs necessary for the trial directly to the investigators. This is a "proof of concept" study to help determine if and how alopecia areata is mediated by T-Cells.
The information for the study has been put together and the NAAF is currently waiting on approval from the FDA to begin. There will be four testing centers across the United States, and the trial is slated to include 75 participants among the four locations.
Who is Eligible?
Participants have not yet been selected, but may be chosen from areas local to the testing centers or an announcement may be posted on the NAAF website. This trial does not include people with Alopecia Universalis or Totalis, but only those with 25% to 75% of their hair lost via Alopecia Areata, in a patchy form. Participants must be between the ages of 18 to 80.
Why Amevive?
Alopecia Areata is very similar to Psoriasis. Both conditions are thought to be mediated by similar T Cells which target (in the case of Alopecia Areata) the follicles, resulting in an immune response which rejects them, causing patchy hair loss. Amevive targets those T Cells and eliminates them, or prevents them from doing any damage. These cells are memory cells, so they tell other white blood cells what to do, including assault the follicle. Controlling the T Cells will prevent them from giving orders to the White Blood Cells. The result is very similar to what Propecia does for DHT and male pattern baldness. By eliminating the causative factors, the hair should be free to grow again.
Autoimmune Disease?
Despite all the data collected thus far, there is still a debate as to whether Alopecia Areata is truly an Autoimmune disease among some researchers. This study not only will evaluate the effectiveness of rendering the immune response inactive and thus regrowing hair, but also either add to or take away from the argument that Alopecia Areata truly is an autoimmune disease. This is one of the most targeted research projects of its kind for this condition!
The trial will last 5 months, just to test the product. Subjects will be taking product for 2 months, and then a period of three months will be used to examine the results. Why did Biogen have to donate over $1 Million worth of the drug for only 75 participants? Because its a very expensive medication, costing nearly $35,000 per person. Before you throw your hands up, see if you can get into the trial, and keep your eyes peeled for the results. We can all deal with the cost issue later. Health insurance may very well end up covering it.
