Arthritis drug may spark hair regrowth in some patients

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — An arthritis drug could be the key to battling hair loss in some patients, a new study has found.

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According to YaleNews, experts from Stanford and Yale universities found that the rheumatoid arthritis drug tofacitinib citrate, aka Xeljanz, appeared to regrow hair for some people with alopecia areata, "a frequently devastating autoimmune disease causing patchy or complete hair loss across the body."

The recent clinical trial, published Thursday, included 66 adults with the hair-loss condition. YaleNews reports that "more than half saw hair regrowth and one-third recovered more than 50 percent of their initial scalp hair loss after taking" 5 mg of the drug twice a day.

"This study demonstrates the drug is effective for treating alopecia areata," said Brett A. King with the Yale School of Medicine.

Cox Media Group