Health

GLP-1s drive hair loss market

When Branneisha Cooper first began taking GLP-1 injection Mounjaro in late 2022, she heard online that she could experience temporary hair thinning and prepared for the worst.

But it would take about a year before she began noticing her hair falling out in clumps. Cooper said it was especially shocking because she has always had thick hair.

“I was really hoping it wouldn’t happen,” Cooper, 29, told CNBC. “What my provider had told me is that since you’re on the medication that’s allowed you to lose weight at a faster rate, that’s what can cause hair loss.”

Desperate to counteract the side effect, Cooper said she began prioritizing protein in her diet, taking vitamins intended to help her hair and investing in haircare products meant to stimulate the scalp to foster growth.

She’s one of a growing number of GLP-1 users experiencing temporary hair loss from the drugs, creating a new market for hair treatment products amid the weight-loss drug craze.

Cooper took to social media for support, where she found scores of other GLP-1 users experiencing the same thing. While the discourse was less frequent at the beginning of her weight-loss journey, the rise of GLP-1s has meant that more people are flocking to her page to commiserate and strategize.

“There has been an increase of people wanting to know how to tackle it, but it’s also a lot of people who are wanting to know how they can possibly prevent it, and that’s just something that I don’t have the answer to,” Cooper said.

According to Gallup, the use of GLP-1 drugs has more than doubled since early 2024. The KFF Health Tracking Poll found that roughly one in every eight U.S. adults, or nearly 13%, are currently taking a GLP-1 drug.

By 2030, JPMorgan estimates that roughly 25 million Americans will be on a GLP-1, up from just 5 million in 2023.

Profit amid loss

Many GLP-1 users have seen significant results in losing weight. But the drugs come with a multitude of side effects, too.

Zepbound, manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, advertises common side effects on its website that include hair loss, nausea and vomiting, fatigue and more. Mounjaro, also a Lilly drug, warns of similar side effects, along with Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic. Wegovy also includes hair loss in its possible side effects.

It’s a risk that’s common with any type of significant weight loss because of the body’s changes, according to Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd, a dermatologist and the chief medical advisor for haircare brand Nutrafol.

“When you are losing weight, either through a GLP-1 or any other type of weight loss, you may be taking in less nutrients, less protein, and the weight loss itself can be a stressor,” she told CNBC.

Those consumers have been increasingly seeking out solutions to ease the physical process, according to Circana. The Chicago-based market research firm estimates that GLP-1 households spend approximately 30% more on beauty products than non-GLP-1 households.

“Hair loss solutions continue to be a standout growth segment in hair care, sustained by prolonged consumer stress since the pandemic and GLP‑1 medication usage emerging as an incremental tailwind,” said Larissa Jensen, Circana’s beauty industry advisor. “Many GLP‑1 users report temporary hair shedding, which is translating into increased demand for at‑home growth treatments, scalp serums, and supplements.”

The hit to a GLP-1 user’s self-confidence from the hair loss can mean even more stress, according to Woolery-Lloyd.

In her practice, she said she’s seen a noticeable increase in patients coming in specifically with hair thinning concerns, many of them because of GLP-1 side effects. Woolery-Lloyd said the last time she saw an influx of patients with these concerns was during the pandemic, due to unexpected amounts of stress on the body.

The hair loss from GLP-1s is one of the most significant side effects that the beauty industry is watching, according to Audrey Depraeter-Montacel, Accenture’s global beauty industry lead.

“GLP-1s have not just changed the way people lose weight, but the way consumers expect beauty and personal care to address the situation,” she told CNBC, adding that it’s not a “one size fits all” solution.

Depraeter-Montacel called the size of the GLP-1 market “unprecedented” and said the business opportunity for the hair treatment market with this growing population sets the scene for innovation.

“On the life science side, we are seeing a lot of pharma brands raising funds to go after innovation and new solutions,” she said. “So a lot of money has been raised in the name of this opportunity, which I think confirmed that there is definitely a commercial opportunity here as investors put dollars in this on both sides.”

Consumers who will be buying into the GLP-1 hair treatment market are also sticking around, Depraeter-Montacel said. Because hair treatment products often take a few months to begin showing results, these customers are expected to be highly loyal.

Tapping into the market

Brands are taking notice. In early April, Ulta CEO Kecia Steelman told Yahoo Finance that the company is seeing more consumers buying hair treatment products as part of the GLP-1 craze.

Redken, a haircare company owned by L’Oreal, created an entire hair treatment line specifically for consumers with thin hair called the Acidic Grow Full System.

“We wanted to ensure the Acidic Grow Full System range was tested on this specific population of GLP-1 users, as they may have unique hair care needs,” Mounia Tahiri, Redken’s U.S. general manager, told CNBC. ”[It] was tested on current GLP-1 users who, when using the products, immediately noticed their hair looked fuller and felt thicker.”

Tahiri said the company also saw a rise in Google searches for hair loss and weight-loss drugs and plans to continue innovating its hair treatment products as the GLP-1 population grows.

Nutrafol CEO Cindy Gustafson told CNBC the haircare brand is similarly seeing increased demand for hair health products.

“While we don’t break out performance tied to GLP-1 use, growth overall is being driven by increased awareness and a shift toward personalized, clinically supported solutions,” she said.

Gustafson said the company expects this growth to continue as more people begin taking GLP-1s and searching for products to prevent or counteract hair thinning.

KeraFactor, another scalp health company, told CNBC that it’s seeing 100% growth year-over-year in its direct-to-consumer store because of an increased interest from GLP-1 users.

“We saw a lot of [hair loss] during Covid, so that was actually the first kind of spike of patients that came to KeraFactor, and then after Covid, it kind of settled,” Lauren Bartholomeusz, the company’s chief commercial officer, told CNBC. “And then now, we’re seeing that rise again with the GLP-1 craze.”

Bartholomeusz said KeraFactor has shifted the way it treats patients to now come from a more preventative perspective to get ahead of the possible hair loss while taking the drugs.

For Cooper, the 29-year-old GLP-1 user, there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

She’s experimented with many hair products over the past three years of taking weight-loss drugs, hoping for her hair to return to its former thickness.

“I’ve been paying more attention to it for about a year, and I’ve been noticing it’s returned,” Cooper said. “A lot of people, they get nervous when they have the hair shedding, because it’s like, ‘Oh, I’m going to be bald for eternity.’ But the hair comes back, so that was what let me have peace with it. But it was scary.”

CNBC

Health

Definium Depression Pill Delivers Strong Trial Results, Shares Surge

Definium Therapeutics (DFTX.O), opens new tab said a single dose of its LSD-based experimental pill significantly reduced symptoms of major depression in patients in a late-stage ‌trial, sending its shares soaring 55% to a more than four-year high on Monday.

The experimental drug helped patients record significantly lower scores on a standard depression scale than those on placebo after six weeks, with an 8.1-point difference, meeting the trial’s main goal, the company said.

The pill, DT120, belongs to a ⁠class of drugs known as classic psychedelics, which temporarily alter perception, mood and thinking. It is a pharmaceutical formulation of lysergide, better known as LSD, and works by activating serotonin receptors in the brain.

In April, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to speed up access to psychedelic-based treatments.

Definium shares, which have gained about 174% so far this year, were trading up 52% at $37.23.

Needham analyst Ami Fadia called the results “unprecedented in the depression space,” adding the drug showed greater reductions in scores ‌at ⁠six weeks than Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ.N), opens new tab Spravato and Compass Pathways’ (CMPS.O), opens new tab COMP360 achieved at week four.

Axsome Therapeutics’ (AXSM.O), opens new tab Auvelity and Sage Therapeutics’ Zurzuvae are some of the other treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD).

“DT120 could emerge as a worthy competitor in the MDD / TRD space with a strong ⁠clinical profile,” Fadia added.

Definium said the data brings it closer to an FDA submission and it was running a second late-stage depression trial.

The drug was generally well-tolerated, with 99% of adverse ⁠events mild to moderate, occurring mainly on the day of dosing, and no serious safety issues or increase in suicidal thoughts observed.

The trial enrolled 149 participants aged ⁠18-74 years with MDD, the second-most common mental health disorder in the U.S., with more than 21 million adults experiencing a major depressive episode each year.

Reuters

Health

PCOS: Matter Of Eggs And Far Beyond

Dr. Pooja Vaswani – Consultant Obstetrics & Gynaecology.

NMC Royal Hospital, Abu Dhabi

Quite many times in our daily practice we come across women who are diagnosed to have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), the incidence of which is on an increase. It affects about 10% of women. It’s the word “PCOS” that catches any woman’s attention, as more often than not she would have heard about PCOS from her friends/ mother or sisters. Immediate question that comes to the mind of the woman is “will I be able to conceive?”

Ofcourse maternal instinct is paramount and being a gynecologist women with PCOS come to me with concerns that are either cosmetic or reproductive. As gynecologist we cater to reproductive goal,however it is to be kept in mind that as a doctor our role does not end there. PCOS has long term implications too which can go far beyond the reproductive age.Many studies confirm that the insulin resistance associated with PCOS can expose women to higher risk of metabolic syndrome which could be a combination of hypertension; hyperlipidemia, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Apart from these metabolic disorders, women with PCOS are also at an increased risk of developing endometrial, ovarian and possibly also breast cancer in later life.

There is a need for a holistic approach in dealing with PCOS keeping in mind that contrary to what the name implies, PCOS implications are not restricted just to sex organs but go way beyond, affecting many other organs in the body which can have profound effect on long term health of the women. These women should be evaluated for these conditions accordingly on a more frequent basis.

Every responsible gynecologist should utilize every potential opportunity to evaluate and educate the patients about ways to prevent these potentially threatening long term metabolic and malignant disorders by intervening at the earliest.

Health

Novartis: Rare muscle disease drug shows early promise

Novartis (NOVN.S), opens new tab said on Thursday an experimental drug, which it acquired as part of its $12 billion takeover of ‌Avidity, showed promise in an early-to-mid-stage study in patients with a type of genetic muscle disorder characterized by slowly progressive muscle weakness.

The Swiss ⁠drugmaker said the drug, known as del-brax, lowered two blood markers linked to the disease and showed reduced signs of muscle damage in patients with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.
Novartis said the drug shows potential to become the first disease-modifying ‌treatment ⁠for FSHD, which can cause weakness in the face, shoulders, arms and other muscles.
The company estimates it affects about 45,000 to ⁠87,000 people in the U.S. and EU.
The drug’s safety profile was consistent with previous ⁠results, the company said.
Novartis plans to discuss the data with health regulators ⁠around the world, while a late-stage study of the drug is currently enrolling patients.

The Thomson Reuters