Men battling baldness may soon have a new pill to turn to

Key Points:

• An experimental extended-release oral minoxidil pill, VDPHL01, demonstrated successful hair regrowth in men with pattern hair loss during a phase 3 trial involving 536 participants.
• Both once-daily (8.5 mg) and twice-daily doses significantly outperformed placebo, with hair count increases of 28.6 and 36.4 hairs per square centimeter, respectively, compared to 6.6 for placebo.
• The extended-release formulation aims to reduce side effects common with immediate-release minoxidil, such as dizziness and blood pressure changes, and was generally well tolerated without serious cardiac events.
• Some side effects reported included more frequent swelling and unwanted hair growth; the dosage used nearly doubles the current maximum recommended daily dose of 5 mg.
• Veradermics is also conducting a Phase 3 trial for women and hopes VDPHL01 will become the first FDA-approved non-hormonal oral treatment for pattern hair loss available soon.