Based on: Alopecia Areata — gene targets, candidate compounds and trials, OSMF Research Tracker (DGIdb, Open Targets, ChEMBL, PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov data). Numbers are a snapshot taken 8 October 2026; the tracker page is the live version.
Short answer: as of October 2026, the OSMF Research Tracker lists 55 candidate interventions for alopecia Areata that are either approved medicines or have at least one registered clinical trial, built on 10 druggable gene targets, with 14 recent trials on ClinicalTrials.gov. 1 are already approved medicines, for this condition or another one; where the approval is for a different condition, the trial is testing a new use, which is what drug repurposing means. Being in a trial says an intervention is being studied, not that it works; that is what the trial is for.
Which candidates have the most trial activity?
Ranked by the number of registered trials the tracker found. Each trial ID links to the registry entry, where you can read the design, status and sponsor.
- ritlecitinib — 3 registered trials · approved medicine · NCT07821216 NCT06531109 NCT07226531
- CTP-543 — 3 registered trials · investigational · NCT05041803 NCT03898479 NCT03811912
- platelet rich plasma — 3 registered trials · investigational · NCT02865421 NCT03376581 NCT03689452
- Scalp cooling — 2 registered trials · investigational · NCT05177289 NCT04630080
- Tofacitinib — 2 registered trials · investigational · NCT02299297 NCT02312882
- Topical Minoxidil 5% — 2 registered trials · investigational · NCT07776015 NCT07012486
- Triamcinolone Acetonide — 2 registered trials · investigational · NCT03535233 NCT07757867
- Vehicle solution — 2 registered trials · investigational · NCT05888922 NCT05914805
- 3% Minoxidil with 0.1% Finasteride lotion — 1 registered trial · investigational · NCT01391156
- 3%Minoxidil lotion — 1 registered trial · investigational · NCT01391156
- Active Comparator- Xtressé™ Supplement and Serum — 1 registered trial · investigational · NCT07041489
- Active nutricosmetic — 1 registered trial · investigational · NCT07556016
Which gene targets are these built on?
The tracker starts from genes with evidence of being druggable in alopecia Areata and asks which compounds act on them. Each symbol links to its DGIdb entry, which lists the interacting drugs and the papers behind them: CTLA4, IFNG, IL15, IL2RA, IL2RB, JAK1, JAK2, JAK3, KLRK1, TYK2.
Which trials are registered?
- CyanthOx™ Capsule Efficacy Study NCT07774117 · Completed · Phase NA · started 2025-11-01
- Phase 2/3 Efficacy and Safety of PP405 in Adult Males NCT07819435 · Recruiting · Phase PHASE2, PHASE3 · started 2026-09-21
- A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Effectiveness of Upadacitinib in Pediatric Participants With Alopecia Areata NCT07772492 · Recruiting · Phase PHASE3 · started 2026-08-24
- Characterization And Clinical Outcomes of AA Patients Treated With Ritlecitinib NCT06531109 · Active Not Recruiting · started 2024-08-07
- A Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of SM04554 Topical Solution in Male Subjects With Androgenetic Alopecia NCT03742518 · Completed · Phase PHASE2, PHASE3 · started 2018-11-01
- 1470nm Laser for the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia and Scarring Alopecia NCT05460611 · Recruiting · Phase NA · started 2023-12-07
- A Study of the Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Topical SM04554 Solution in Male Subjects With Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) NCT02275351 · Completed · Phase PHASE2 · started 2014-11
- A Study of SM04554 Applied Topically to the Scalp of Male Subjects With Androgenetic Alopecia Analyzed by Biopsy of the Scalp Prior To and Post Dosing NCT02503137 · Completed · Phase PHASE2 · started 2015-08
- Clinical Application of Stem Cell Educator Therapy in Alopecia Areata NCT04011748 · Active Not Recruiting · Phase PHASE2 · started 2022-09-20
- Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Deuruxolitinib in Japanese Adults With Severe Alopecia Areata NCT07617597 · Recruiting · Phase PHASE3 · started 2026-06-19
How to read this
Evidence is graded on the tracker page in three tiers: clinical (tested in people), mechanistic (a documented action on the target) and correlative (an association in the literature). Most candidates sit in the lower tiers, and many trials are small or early-phase. The purpose of this list is to show where the research is, with sources, so that patients, clinicians and researchers can look further; it is not a ranking of what to take.
Related on this site
Research information, not medical advice. Decisions about any medicine belong with you and your clinician. The underlying data are open (CC BY 4.0) and refreshed daily; this note was generated from the tracker page on 8 October 2026.