Aclaris hair loss treatment
Aclaris experimental hair loss treatment gets additional patent protection
A new drug candidate being developed by a Chester County biopharmaceutical company to treat hair loss disorders has received additional patent protection.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued the patent, which covers methods related to the use and administration of a certain janus kinase [JAK] inhibitor, to the trustees of Columbia University in New York City. Columbia has exclusively licensed the JAK inhibitor to Aclaris Therapeutics of Malvern, Pa., in connection with the company’s JAK drug development program for hair loss disorders.
JAK inhibitors are a type of medication designed to inhibit the activity of one or more of a specific family of enzymes tied to certain diseases.
U.S. patent number 9,895,301 covers the use of tofacitinib, a JAK inihibitor, for inducing hair growth and for treating hair loss disorders such as alopecia areata and androgenetic alopecia — otherwise known as male/female pattern hair loss.
“We are extremely pleased with the continued development of the patent portfolio we exclusively licensed from Columbia,” said Dr. Neal Walker, a dermatologist who serves as president and CEO of Aclaris. “The issuance of this patent is another step in the development of a robust patent portfolio relating to JAK inhibition and hair loss.”
