Hair loss drug succeeds in Phase 3, but data underwhelms experts

Allison DeAngelis is the East Coast biotech and venture capital reporter at STAT, reporting where scientific ideas and money meet. She is also co-host of the weekly biotech podcast, The Readout Loud. You can reach Allison on Signal at AllisonDeAngelis.01.

A topical hair loss medication successfully built up hair in a Phase 3 trial, according to the results of two late-stage trials released Wednesday. 

Cosmo Pharmaceuticals, which is based in Dublin, ran the studies on men with a common form of hair loss called androgenetic alopecia. The company reported that men who used Cosmo’s drug clascoterone had more hair after six months than the men in a placebo group — 168% more hair in one trial and 539% in another. 

Cosmo anticipates filing for regulatory approvals in the U.S. and Europe next year, after it gathers the full 12-month safety data in the spring. 

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