Treatment for Alopecia Areata Receives FDA Approval

Dear Friends,

On June 13, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug administration (FDA) approved Olumiant (baricitinib) for the treatment of severe alopecia areata in adults, marking the first-ever approved treatment for the disease.  Baricitinib is a member of the class of drugs known as Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, which are approved for other conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and atopic dermatitis (eczema). The availability of this approved oral medication represents a new choice among treatment options for the alopecia areata community. Olumiant (baricitinib) is the first of several JAK inhibitors that have completed late-stage clinical trials for alopecia areata and that are expected to undergo FDA review. This means that more treatments are on the horizon for alopecia areata patients. Read NAAF’s statement on the approval here.

This milestone has been a key goal of NAAF’s Treatment Development Program, with NAAF-funded researchers and our patient advocates playing an important role in this accomplishment.

Learn more about new treatments for alopecia areata by watching NAAF’s recent webinar, Alopecia Areata Treatment Update: A New Future Awaits, with Dr. Brett King, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Dermatology at the Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. King has been the lead investigator on multiple clinical trials of JAK inhibitors. Dr. King explains how JAK inhibitors work in alopecia areata and reviews data from recent clinical trials.  

Tell Us Who Is Your Alopecia All-Star!

September is Alopecia Areata Awareness Month!  Throughout the entire month we’re asking you to fundraise and raise awareness of alopecia areata. This year the theme for Alopecia Areata Awareness Month is Alopecia All-Stars.  

To help in raising awareness please create a short (30-second to 1-minute) video telling us who is your “Alopecia All-Star".  Your “Alopecia All-Star” could be anyone – your child with alopecia, your parent, your teacher, your doctor.  Now’s your chance to tell the community all about them!   Please forward your video to Gary Sherwood at gary@naaf.org. We will share these throughout the month on our YouTube channel.

We also want you to become an All-Star Fundraiser.  It is easy:

• Start a CLASSY fundraising campaign – it can be done for a special occasion or around your favorite activity.
• Ask your network of friends, family, co-workers etc. to donate.

Visit naaf.org to find out all the ways you can participate in Alopecia Areata Awareness Month and become an All-Star! #alopeciaallstar

Go All-Stars!

Reunited and It Feels So Good!

Whether this was your first or fifteenth NAAF Conference, A Community Reunited certainly lived up to its name.  Some 360 attendees gathered at Washington DC’s Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill from June 30 to July 3, to learn, listen, laugh, and most important, connect like this community hasn’t been able since 2019, seeing and being seen in a public place.  There were too many highlights to list but Dr. Brett King’s informative presentation on new treatments, the Advocacy at Home Panel featuring surprise guest Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley, new NAAF President & CEO Nicole Friedland’s first address to the community, the screening of the movie Foxy followed by a Q&A with writer-director-star Trista Suke, and the Tortoise & Hair™ walk along the National Mall were emblematic of the variety of sessions and activities offered.  

We will not soon forget our experiences and look forward to doing it all again next year in Denver, Colorado June 28 - July 2!  

New Webinar: Identifying Bullying 
and Standing Up to it Safely

NAAF is hosting its next webinar, Identifying Bullying and Standing Up to it Safely on Thursday, August 25, 2022, at 7:00pm ET/ 6:00pm CT/ 4:00pm PT. Individuals with alopecia areata, especially kids, are frequent targets of bullying. When adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior, they send the message that it is not acceptable. Research shows this can stop bullying behavior over time.  Parents, school staff, and other adults in the community can help kids prevent bullying by talking about it, building a safe school environment, and creating a community-wide bullying prevention strategy. In this webinar, learn from two professionals how you can be a leader in preventing bullying in your community.  

Barbara Truluck, a school counselor from Georgia, and Kristina Gorbatenko-Roth, PhD, LP, a licensed psychologist, will present this webinar.

This webinar is part of NAAF’s You Are Not Alone, Education and Empowerment Webinar Series, supported by Eli Lilly and Company.

Youth Mentors Are Here for You and Your Child

Living with alopecia areata can be challenging and lonely, especially when you don’t have a friend who understands your journey. If you have a child or teen with alopecia, let them know they are not alone and consider signing them up for our Youth Mentor program.

“My 10-year-old granddaughter was diagnosed with alopecia areata when she was 2. The past few years have been very hard on her. She didn’t know anyone that has alopecia, and I thought it could be so comforting. I stand on the sidelines and try to help, but it wasn’t until I attended a recent conference that I realized what a loving community NAAF is. I signed her up for NAAF’s youth mentor program and she now has a smile on her face every time she talks to her mentor. I can’t thank you enough!” - Coral

Visit Naaf.org to learn more about this program. We are also accepting applications for new mentors! Contact Judy Williams at judy@naaf.org to apply today.

Research Survey Opportunity

Take part in a new research survey exploring the impact of alopecia areata on your life.  A research study being conducted by Brigham and Women’s Hospital is seeking to learn more about understanding the role of diet and nutrition in alopecia areata. If you are a patient who is currently living in the United States, at least 18 years old, and has alopecia areata, your participation in a 20-minute online survey would be greatly appreciated. We hope that the information we gather in this research survey will help improve the care patients receive for their alopecia. 

Participation is voluntary.  Deciding not to participate will not affect medical care. The survey will be anonymous. We will not collect your name or other personal identifiers. 

Principal Investigator: Arash Mostaghimi, MD, MPA, MPH, 617-264-5943 For more information, please contact Lara Drake at 510-292-6931.

Help NAAF Help Families

NAAF board member Wendy Yu recalls how the Foundation helped her family and wants you to make that same help possible for other families with alopecia areata.  Read Wendy's letter here.