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QR678 Neo® plus intralesional steroids was a safe and more effective treatment regimen for adults with alopecia areata than intralesional steroid therapy alone, according to a double-blind prospective clinical study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. QR678 Neo® is a plant-based polypeptide formulation of growth factors.
Investigators included 20 participants, 10 men and 10 women aged 20 to50 years of age with nonscarring patchy hair loss. Investigators randomly assigned participants 1:1 to either receive an intralesional steroid (triamcinolone acetonide 5 mg/mL) and placebo or an intralesional steroid and QR678 Neo®. Both groups received a total of 8 sessions at 3 week intervals. They evaluated participants at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months with standard global photography and dermoscopic assessments. Patients completed self-evaluation questionnaires at the end of the study period that rated treatment satisfaction on a scale of 0 to 5.
After clinical photographs were evaluated by 2 blinded reviewers, a significant improvement for the QR678 Neo® group was seen in global assessment scores after 6 months, with a mean Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score of 6.6, compared with the baseline SALT score of 38.5. There was no significant improvement in SALT scores for the placebo group.
Participants in the QR678 Neo® group also had a significant reduction in black dots, yellow dots, broken hair and tapered hair at 6 months (P <.005) as assessed via video dermoscopic examination. There was no significant reduction for any of these parameters in the placebo group.
The QR678 Neo® group also reported higher satisfaction in self-evaluation questionnaires for improved hair growth (mean score, 5), appearance (mean score, 4.5), and treatment satisfaction (mean, 4.5). In the placebo groups, the mean treatment satisfaction score was 2.5 and the mean appearance score was 2.5.
The study was limited by its small sample size.
“Our results with QR678 Neo® in combination with intralesional steroid therapy proved to be significantly beneficial, efficient, and can be considered a safer treatment option for [alopecia areata],” the study authors wrote.
Disclosure: This research was supported by the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Indian Patent Office. Please see the original reference for a full list of disclosures.
Reference
Shome D, Kapoor R, Doshi K, Patel G, Vadera S, Kumar V. Effectiveness of QR678 and QR678 Neo® with intralesional corticosteroid vs. intralesional corticosteroid alone in the treatment of alopecia areata -A randomized, comparative, prospective study. J Cosmet Dermatol. Published online November 26, 2021. doi:10.1111/jocd.14630
