"New Drug for Alopecia Shows Promise: What You Need To Know" – Dr. Mark Abdelmalek
Jason Lipkin lost all the hair on his body when he was 43 years old. The dad and attorney was diagnosed with a rare and extreme type of hair loss, known as alopecia universalis. Faced with almost no hope for regrowing his hair, he took part in an early stage clinical trial using a medication that targets the immune system, which is believed to cause this kind of alopecia. Miraculously, is hair grew back, showing promising new use for the drug. With the help of Emma Guttman, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Excellence in Eczema in the Laboratory of Inflammatory Skin Diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Jason received a rare opportunity that changed his life. “I’ve seen devastating cases of the appearance of children. It affects their entire life,” said Dr. Guttman. Lipkin took part in a clinical trial for a class of medicine known as JAK inhibitors. These drugs suppress the immune system, making it unable to attack the hair follicles and stop hair growth. For patients seeking JAK inhibitors, clinical trials may be the only route.
— Emma Guttman, MD, PhD, The Sol & Clara Professor, Dermatology, Clinical Immunology, Medicine, Vice Chair, Research, Department of Dermatology, Director, The Center for Excellence in Eczema, Laboratory of Inflammatory Skin Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
