Oral pill for hair loss promises 36 extra hairs per cm²
Veradermics reports an oral drug delivering +36 hairs per cm² at six months, but 9% of participants develop unwanted body hair and the molecule closely resembles generic minoxidil.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Veradermics unveils an oral drug that adds 36 hairs per cm², but the molecule is nothing new
Every morning, a middle-aged man looks in the bathroom mirror and counts the same four hairs left on his crown. That gesture, repeated over years, is what biotech company Veradermics wants to turn into a business with a once-daily oral pill. Results from its second clinical trial, involving 536 men, show an average gain of +36 hairs per cm² at six months, compared with +6.6 in the placebo group. 85% of participants noticed a real aesthetic difference. And the drug was already outperforming the placebo by the second month. If health authorities give the green light, it would be the first new oral medication for hair loss in nearly 30 years.
The fine print appears in the company's own statement: 9% of subjects on the highest dose developed unwanted body hair outside the scalp. That detail, which the press release presents as a footnote, is the clue that has set off alarm bells among the most sceptical. Oral minoxidil, marketed since the 1970s as Loniten for high blood pressure, produces exactly that effect. And as a generic, it costs pennies a month.
What is VDPHL01 and why is it so similar to minoxidil?
The mechanism the company describes — a compound that acts on potassium channels — is the same as minoxidil's. The difference, Veradermics argues, lies in the formulation and cardiovascular safety. The trial recorded zero cardiac warning signals, the great antiestéticar with any derivative of a drug originally designed to lower blood pressure.
Some argue that what is being patented is not the molecule but the customer base. Oral minoxidil has been prescribed off-label by dermatologists for years, at generic prices. A reformulated version, with paid-for studies and a brand name, can multiply its price a hundredfold. The question hanging in the air is whether VDPHL01 offers anything that good old Loniten did not already do.
Trial data: 36 hairs versus 6.6 on placebo
The study divided the 536 men into several control groups. The twice-daily dose achieved the greatest hair density. The placebo group ended up with a barely residual figure. The difference is statistically overwhelming, but the trial design has a limitation critics point out immediately: the comparison is against placebo, not against oral minoxidil. Without a control arm using the generic, there is no way to know whether the new drug is better or simply more expensive.
The company's announced next step is to publish data on women next year, after studying more than 1,000 men in total. Androgenetic alopecia affects both sens, though with different patterns, and the potential market doubles.
The 9% side effect: hair where it shouldn't be
Unwanted body hair growth in nearly one in ten participants on the high dose is the clearest sign that this is a minoxidil derivative. It is not a serious effect, but it is uncomfortable. And it dismantles the "entirely new drug" narrative the press release wants to establish.
The impeccable cardiovascular safety is, without doubt, the strong point. Oral minoxidil was partly abandoned because of the risks in hypertensive patients. If Veradermics has managed to eliminate that problem, the advance would be real, though limited to the convenience of a daily pill.
Hair loss as a personal choice: the business of the century
The hair industry moves astronomical sums. Hair transplants, lotions, shampoos, supplements and now a pill that promises to regenerate density. The market is not looking for a cure; it is looking to make treatment chronic. A pill that must be taken daily for life is the perfect business model.
Underneath lies an uncomfortable question: if hair loss stops being a genetic sentence, will it stop being socially acceptable? Those who today shave their heads without a second thought could end up being singled out for not "doing something about it". Personal choice, in a world where image is monetised, is never entirely free.
The puzzling figure: 85% noticed a difference in the mirror, but only 9% developed body hair. Such is the arithmetic of vanity.
Every morning, a middle-aged man looks in the bathroom mirror and counts the same four hairs left on his crown. That gesture, repeated over years, is what biotech company Veradermics wants to turn into a business with a once-daily oral pill. Results from its second clinical trial, involving 536 men, show an average gain of +36 hairs per cm² at six months, compared with +6.6 in the placebo group. 85% of participants noticed a real aesthetic difference. And the drug was already outperforming the placebo by the second month. If health authorities give the green light, it would be the first new oral medication for hair loss in nearly 30 years.
The fine print appears in the company's own statement: 9% of subjects on the highest dose developed unwanted body hair outside the scalp. That detail, which the press release presents as a footnote, is the clue that has set off alarm bells among the most sceptical. Oral minoxidil, marketed since the 1970s as Loniten for high blood pressure, produces exactly that effect. And as a generic, it costs pennies a month.
What is VDPHL01 and why is it so similar to minoxidil?
The mechanism the company describes — a compound that acts on potassium channels — is the same as minoxidil's. The difference, Veradermics argues, lies in the formulation and cardiovascular safety. The trial recorded zero cardiac warning signals, the great antiestéticar with any derivative of a drug originally designed to lower blood pressure.
Some argue that what is being patented is not the molecule but the customer base. Oral minoxidil has been prescribed off-label by dermatologists for years, at generic prices. A reformulated version, with paid-for studies and a brand name, can multiply its price a hundredfold. The question hanging in the air is whether VDPHL01 offers anything that good old Loniten did not already do.
Trial data: 36 hairs versus 6.6 on placebo
The study divided the 536 men into several control groups. The twice-daily dose achieved the greatest hair density. The placebo group ended up with a barely residual figure. The difference is statistically overwhelming, but the trial design has a limitation critics point out immediately: the comparison is against placebo, not against oral minoxidil. Without a control arm using the generic, there is no way to know whether the new drug is better or simply more expensive.
The company's announced next step is to publish data on women next year, after studying more than 1,000 men in total. Androgenetic alopecia affects both sens, though with different patterns, and the potential market doubles.
The 9% side effect: hair where it shouldn't be
Unwanted body hair growth in nearly one in ten participants on the high dose is the clearest sign that this is a minoxidil derivative. It is not a serious effect, but it is uncomfortable. And it dismantles the "entirely new drug" narrative the press release wants to establish.
The impeccable cardiovascular safety is, without doubt, the strong point. Oral minoxidil was partly abandoned because of the risks in hypertensive patients. If Veradermics has managed to eliminate that problem, the advance would be real, though limited to the convenience of a daily pill.
Hair loss as a personal choice: the business of the century
The hair industry moves astronomical sums. Hair transplants, lotions, shampoos, supplements and now a pill that promises to regenerate density. The market is not looking for a cure; it is looking to make treatment chronic. A pill that must be taken daily for life is the perfect business model.
Underneath lies an uncomfortable question: if hair loss stops being a genetic sentence, will it stop being socially acceptable? Those who today shave their heads without a second thought could end up being singled out for not "doing something about it". Personal choice, in a world where image is monetised, is never entirely free.
The puzzling figure: 85% noticed a difference in the mirror, but only 9% developed body hair. Such is the arithmetic of vanity.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (100 replies).
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