Nearly two-thirds (64%) of men with androgentic alopecia (AGA) say the condition has a negative affect on their lives, yet more than half (56%) have never sought treatment for the condition, results of a survey show.

Findings from the survey, conducted on behalf of Follica, Inc., were accepted as a poster presentation at the 2022 Winter Clinical Dermatology Conference in Koloa, HI. The online survey included 303 qualified respondents—self-identified males in the US between the ages of 18-49 and suffering from AGA. 

The negative impact of AGA is greatest for those with onset within the past three years but was still prominent even for those living with the condition for more than 10 years. Among respondents, 19% had tried treatment but did not continue. Reasons cited included poor efficacy or cost, uncertainty on how to seek treatment, or lack of concern with their condition. 

There is strong interest in new treatment options for AGA, with 74% of all respondents indicating they were either likely (44%) or extremely likely (31%) to request a new therapeutic approach to AGA.

“Male hair loss is an extremely common complaint among patients in our practice, and unfortunately, we don’t have highly effective ways to address this condition, which has significant impact on our patients’ wellbeing,” says Jeffrey Dover, MD, Department of Dermatology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT and SkinCare Physicians, Chestnut Hill, MA. He co-authored the study presented at the Winter Clinical Conference and is a scientific advisor to Follica. “The survey data clearly corroborates the large unmet need for a new treatment paradigm with the potential to grow new hair safely and successfully over a few months compared to years.”

Follica is a biotechnology company developing a regenerative platform designed to treat androgenetic alopecia, epithelial aging, and other medical indications. Its experimental treatment platform has been shown to stimulate the development of new hair follicles and hair in three previously conducted clinical studies. The company’s proprietary treatment is designed to induce an embryonic window via a device with optimized parameters to initiate hair follicle neogenesis, the formation of new hair follicles from epithelial (skin) stem cells. This process is enhanced through the application of a topical compound. Follica completed an optimization trial, and a Phase 3 registration study in androgenetic alopecia is expected to begin in 2022.