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The medication and treatments necessary to a vitiligo patient are long term and costly. Depending on the insurance company you are with, they may cover the price of medication, home treatment unit, doctor appointment fees, UV sessions in the doctor’s office or none of the above. The most helpful type of reimbursement is the reimbursement for the UV unit - a hand-held UVB unit may suffice for a patient with few affected areas but if your spots are widespread a panel type unit is necessary, with prices starting around 1000$.

Clinuvel, the company developing a new drug for vitiligo has published another press release. I've had the chance to ask Lacian Hay, Head of Clinuvel's Global Network and Communications a few questions not covered in the original text of the press release but of practical importance to vitiligo patients.

How will the injections be administered: in the dermatologist's office or will treatment kits be available in pharmacies (for home use)?

A new drug called Scenesse is being developed and tested by Clinuvel, an Australian company. Currently it is in phase II and III of clinical trials. Clinuvel states that it's product will be an effective therapy in nonsegmental vitiligo (symmetry in the vitiligo spots on one's body).

A clear date for it's commercial release is not yet known.

There's been a lot of dispute whether Michael Jackson really bleached his skin or he was just a vitiligo sufferer who's disease took a turn for the worse.

Michael has always claimed that it has been the disease that was responsible for his color change, rising a lot of criticism and drawing a lot of unwanted attention towards him and his family.Michael has 3 children:  Prince, 13, Paris, 12, and Blanket, 8.

The team here at Vitiligozone configured a search filter for the ClinicalTrials.gov website that outputs all the clinical trials recruiting vitiligo patients. ClinicalTrials.gov is a registry of federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the United States and around the world. 

This year the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milano will host the First World Vitiligo Congress, between 23-24 September.

Some of the known speakers will be:

Prof. Raymond E. Boissy - involved in studying vitiligo and pigment cell biology.
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH - USA
Prof. Richard A. Spritz - VitGene consortium project, aimed to identify susceptibility genes for generalized vitiligo. 
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO - USA

Following the large interest triggered by the first stem cell article, we are now able to provide an update from the researchers at the Royan Institute in Iran. Dr. Nasser Aghdami, the head of regenerative medicine department has been king enough to answer some of our questions.

Q1: Mr. Aghdami, what is your role at the Royan Institute and your experience in stem cell biology?