Follica trials underway overseas (link)

Looks like they’ve been moving forward @ Follicahttp://www.xconomy.com/boston/2011/01/04/follica-co-founder-and-team-find-new-clues-about-male-baldness/

An overseas human clinical study of Follica’s drug-device combo treatment for baldness is under way, Ju says. He declined to share key specifics of the ongoing study, such as where exactly it is taking place, yet he did say that the firm eventually plans to pursue approval of the treatment in the U.S.

“I will say that the trial is being done in a very quality fashion outside the United States,” Ju says. “They are being done under the same standards as one would see in the United States under FDA [oversight].”

Unfortunately, Ju wouldn’t provide a timeline for when a clinical trial of the firm’s treatment might open to those seeking to remedy their baldness in the U.S. But based on the avalanche of comments we typically get on our stories about the startup, it probably won’t have any trouble finding participants when and if it launches a study in this country.

I note that Dr. Cotsarelis was bashing the German discovery by Dr. Roland Lauster and a few others.

Ironically I see this as positive as it means Cotsarelis wants Follica to be the first to bring the cure to market because there may not be a prize for second place once the cure is out. Follica certainly would not like competition despite the almost infinite size of the male hair loss market.

Kind of sad that this stuff has to get done outside the US to make progress.

The FDA’s has turned into an gigantic beaurocracy that is stifling all medical R&D and driving out any honest attempt at innovation.

Anyway it looks like Follica is following the in the footsteps of Histogen. Good work Dr. Cotsarelis.

» I note that Dr. Cotsarelis was bashing the German discovery by Dr. Roland
» Lauster and a few others.
»
» Ironically I see this as positive as it means Cotsarelis wants Follica to
» be the first to bring the cure to market because there may not be a prize
» for second place once the cure is out. Follica certainly would not like
» competition despite the almost infinite size of the male hair loss market.
»
» Kind of sad that this stuff has to get done outside the US to make
» progress.
»
» The FDA’s has turned into an gigantic beaurocracy that is stifling all
» medical R&D and driving out any honest attempt at innovation.
»
» Anyway it looks like Follica is following the in the footsteps of Histogen.
» Good work Dr. Cotsarelis.

It has nothing to do with FDA “beaurocracy” and everything to do with COST. Its cheaper to do trials overseas. They will still be conducted to FDA standards - Follica isn’t trying to get around US regulations.

» » I note that Dr. Cotsarelis was bashing the German discovery by Dr.
» Roland
» » Lauster and a few others.
» »
» » Ironically I see this as positive as it means Cotsarelis wants Follica
» to
» » be the first to bring the cure to market because there may not be a
» prize
» » for second place once the cure is out. Follica certainly would not like
» » competition despite the almost infinite size of the male hair loss
» market.
» »
» » Kind of sad that this stuff has to get done outside the US to make
» » progress.
» »
» » The FDA’s has turned into an gigantic beaurocracy that is stifling all
» » medical R&D and driving out any honest attempt at innovation.
» »
» » Anyway it looks like Follica is following the in the footsteps of
» Histogen.
» » Good work Dr. Cotsarelis.
»
» It has nothing to do with FDA “beaurocracy” and everything to do with COST.
» Its cheaper to do trials overseas. They will still be conducted to FDA
» standards - Follica isn’t trying to get around US regulations.

If Follica is conducting trails already, does that mean they already have a potential drug that wakes up the dormant stem cells that the public doesnt know about?

» If Follica is conducting trails already, does that mean they already have a
» potential drug that wakes up the dormant stem cells that the public doesnt
» know about?

they keep things very secret so nobody knows wtf they have. Perhaps you could email them for an update for all of us.

the fact that they are conducting trials overseas means they have already done the initial safety trials on humans in the US as required by law before using foreign subjects (i think?). so we can deduce that its likely safe. If so aren’t there any FDA documents we can look up on Follica’s safety trials?

so now, we await before after pictures of norwood 7 bald guys turning into norwood 2. lord knows when that’s going to be. my guess is that they will be racing against Histogen.

in some ways i think Histogen tried to test their theory of wound induced regeneration of hair follicle as Histogen shot an area on a bald guys head with a laser to induce the wounding. However their conclusion was wounding did not impart any gain over not wounding which is great news for our bald nuggets i guess. Otherwise we’d have to subject our nuggets to star wars and we already know the force isn’t with us.

IF they do have the cure, Dr. Cotsarelis will end up as one of the richest men in the world without a doubt. If not, its another Gho story.

I am fairly new here, can someone give me a quick summary what is the technology behind Follica?

Is Follica doing trials using progenitor cells?

What about Histogen? Aderans?

How are they different?

» so now, we await before after pictures of norwood 7 bald guys turning into
» norwood 2.

Why not norwood 0 ?

Oh, sorry, just noticed that I’m asking a well-known idiot. So, answers by other users are appreciated.

» » so now, we await before after pictures of norwood 7 bald guys turning
» into
» » norwood 2.
»
» Why not norwood 0 ?
»
» Oh, sorry, just noticed that I’m asking a well-known idiot. So, answers by
» other users are appreciated.

Thank god there are in asia and also greedy, its all good for hairloss suffering people in general.

NW7 to NW0 is only possible if you combine a transplant with an Ari/Histogen approch (i exclude Follica because i dont know exactly what they are doing) but hey its good to have at least three candidates from which we know they exist.

@ Iron.Man : I think that HST is just the diamond or gold standard of hair plucking in terms of time management

Maybe it’s because there is no such thing as a Norwood 0.

Norwood 1 is lowest number on the Norwood scale.

» Maybe it’s because there is no such thing as a Norwood 0.
»
» Norwood 1 is lowest number on the Norwood scale.

Nah, don’t try to knock sense into a moron.

Norwood 0 is what’s between his ears.

He just shows up to spoil every thread with his garbage and annoy people as he has nothing going on in his life.

It crosses my mind the trials may be going on in Mexico. Follica’s technique doesn’t use any non FDA approved drugs, or devices, so if the trials are successful, it may not be long before the treatment is available in the USA.

»
» Thank god there are in asia and also greedy, its all good for hairloss
» suffering people in general.
»
» NW7 to NW0 is only possible if you combine a transplant with an
» Ari/Histogen approch (i exclude Follica because i dont know exactly what
» they are doing) but hey its good to have at least three candidates from
» which we know they exist.
»
» @ Iron.Man : I think that HST is just the diamond or gold standard of hair
» plucking in terms of time management

I don’t think we can say what the limits are on the likes of Histogen until we see if it’s compoundable. If it is and the best results they’ve seen so far were 50 new hairs per cm/2 then you shouldn’t need anymore transplants.

» It crosses my mind the trials may be going on in Mexico. Follica’s
» technique doesn’t use any non FDA approved drugs, or devices, so if the
» trials are successful, it may not be long before the treatment is available
» in the USA.

I think the best bet is they are in Israel, Daphne Zohar has links there and they seem to have a high level for biotech research and development.