News
Research and news
Explainers with a date. Updated when a decision changes, not when a headline does.
Written in the UK, for women and men.
This is the dated news collection. It explains studies and UK decisions in plain English. It does not announce a 2026 approval unless a regulator has published one. Ritlecitinib is already an NHS option for some people with severe alopecia areata. Several pattern-hair-loss drugs are still investigational.
See a GP if hair loss is sudden, patchy, or comes with illness, a rash, or other symptoms. The NHS asks for that conversation before a private clinic.
On this page
On this page
News here means a decision, a trial, or a treatment people are about to be sold. The date on the page is when we wrote the explainer.
What is already a UK decision?
Ritlecitinib is recommended by NICE for severe alopecia areata in people aged 12 and over, if the company supplies it under the commercial arrangement. Baricitinib is not recommended for routine NHS commissioning for that condition. Both are explained on ritlecitinib and JAK inhibitors and on alopecia areata.
What is not a 2026 launch?
Clascoterone for the scalp, pyrilutamide and GT20029 are talked about as coming treatments. On the sources checked for new hair loss treatments, they are not UK-licensed hair-loss medicines. Exosomes and stem-cell procedures advertised by clinics are not standard NHS care.
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Common questions
How do I follow new pages?
Use the RSS feed at /rss.xml. It lists dated explainers, newest first.
Will you call a drug approved before the MHRA or NICE does?
No. If we have not found a UK licence or a NICE decision, the page says the treatment is not a UK-licensed hair-loss medicine on the sources we checked.
Is this a medical review?
No. Pages name their sources. They are not signed by a clinician, and they do not pretend to be.
