Legacy Healthcare aims to upend alopecia areata treatment with a botanical drug

Cross sections of plant stem under microscope view [tonaquatic/Adobe Stock]

Imagine a world where botanical drugs could shape the future of medical treatment. Saad Harti, CEO of Swiss company Legacy Healthcare, doesn’t just imagine it; he’s on a mission to make it a reality. With an initial focus on alopecia areata in children and adolescents, Legacy Healthcare believes the plant extract Coacillium could be a blockbuster, given its promise as alopecia areata treatment.

As he put it, it’s all about the “unique assembly of the right plants.” Coacillium contains four: Allium cepa L. (onion), Citrus limon (L.) (lemon), Theobroma cacao (cocoa) and Paullinia cupana Kunth (guarana). The composition, which includes a variety of flavonoids, polyphenols and methylxanthines, has been linked with reversing immuno-inflammatory reactions in hair follicles and adjacent dermal tissues.

Hopes an…
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  • August 15, 2023
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FDA places clinical hold on Sun Pharma’s dermatology drug as a result of blood clot risk

Sun Pharmaceuticals (NSE:SUNPHARMA) has received a clinical hold from the FDA on its experimental dermatological drug deuruxolitinib over the potential for thromboembolic incidents. The hold pertains to patients taking a 12-mg dose of the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor.

Reuters was the first to report the news.

Sun Pharma maintains confidence in deuruxolitinib despite FDA clinical hold

“No thromboembolic events were observed during phase 2 or phase-3 trials [of deuruxolitinib], and we remain confident in deuruxolitinib’s potential to treat patients with Alopecia Areata and will work closely with the US FDA to address the agency’s concerns,” wrote Dr. Rajiv Malik, president of Sun Pharma, in a statement

Sun Pharma acquired rights to deuruxolitinib through its acquisition of Concert Pharmaceuticals for $576 million earlier this year.

In March, Concert, then recently acquired by Sun Pharma, presented positive data from the phase 3 THRIVE-AA…

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  • May 4, 2023
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