How Do You Take Part in Clinical Hair Loss Treatment Trials?'

Name: Shaun

Question: I am 33 and have been suffering with hair loss since my twenties and I have had two FUE treatments and currently on finasteride and using minoxidil. I was wondering how you are able to put yourself forward for testing of new JAK inhibitor products for the manufacturers?

It’s something I would highly consider but I am unsure how to apply in the testing market.

Answer: Hi Shaun, we are often asked about how people can take part in clinical trials we report on in our hair loss blog.

Belgravia is not involved in any of the clinical trials reported on our site to date and therefore the best way to get involved with any you find of interest is to contact the company or institution named in the article.

Many of the JAK inhibitor hair loss trials are conducted in the USA and are predominantly for the treatment of severe Alopecia Areata - an autoimmune disorder and not the genetic condition you have, Male Pattern Baldness. We are aware of one such current trial which is being carried out by the medical facility at New York's prestigious Columbia University which is responsible for developing many new JAK inhibitor drugs which its trustees have exclusively licensed to Aclaris Therapeutics.

However, there are various genetic hairloss treatment trials going on too so, aside from contacting the companies or researchers detailed in our blog stories, you can also search online clinical trial registries. These will tell you which trials are currently recruiting in which countries. They will also detail the criteria for each trial - you will need to check this to see if anyone who has previously had hair transplant surgery or has recently been using male pattern hair loss treatment is eligible.

If you are in the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) has a website called the UK Clinical Trials Gateway which allows you to search relevant research studies near you. Most importantly, it also provides information on what to expect when participating in a clinical trial, including what you should prepare yourself for and the potential risks involved. It is crucial that anyone volunteering for any medical study is fully aware of exactly what they are letting themselves in for in both the best case and - most importantly - worst case scenarios, before confirming their involvement.

It's unclear from the medications you mention if you have been using over-the-counter products since your hair restoration surgeries. If this is the case, we would recommend having a consultation with a specialist as, not only will they be able to assess your hairloss but can also discuss appropriate clinically-proven hair loss treatments with you, as well as the non-pharmaceutical hair growth supporting products which can be used alongside primary topical and oral drugs if desired.