PP405
guinea pig
The Dose Guy’s verdictSep 1, 20261 source
PP405 targets something genuinely different, a metabolic switch in the follicle rather than hormones or blood flow, and it has a real clinical trial running. But no efficacy, no safety results, no human data of any kind has been published. I like the angle. Liking the angle is not evidence. Use finasteride and minoxidil, the things that work, and check back when this trial publishes.
What it is
A topical small molecule that inhibits the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier, aiming to reactivate dormant follicles by flipping a metabolic switch inside them. This is a different approach from everything else on this shelf: finasteride and dutasteride block DHT, minoxidil opens blood flow, and the topical antiandrogens block the receptor. PP405 goes after the follicle’s energy machinery instead. A phase 2a trial has been registered and enrolled, but the results have not been published.
What the research shows
The published evidence base is empty:
Realistic protocols
I am not building a protocol from a trial registry and a paragraph in a review article. The registered study tested 0.05% gel once daily, and that is the only human dosing information that exists. If PP405 interests you, watch for the trial results. If you run it before those arrive, you are the experiment, with no dosing rationale, no safety floor, and no efficacy signal to calibrate against. Log everything.
Side effects
Nobody has published a side effect from PP405 in a human:
