Koshine 826 (Pyrilutamide) For Hair Loss - Is It Effective?
Last reviewed on 9 July 2026. We review our treatment guides every six months to keep them accurate.
Before we go further, two things to be clear about. Koshine 826 (pyrilutamide, also called KX-826) is not an approved or licensed medicine in the UK. It has not been licensed by the UK medicines regulator, the MHRA, or by the US Food and Drug Administration. The same compound is, however, now sold over the counter as a cosmetic scalp solution, directly to consumers including in the UK, by Kintor, the company developing it. It is the same substance either way: being sold as a cosmetic rather than a licensed medicine does not mean you are getting something different or weaker, only that it has not been through the trials and approval that would confirm how well it works. Always speak to a doctor or a suitably qualified professional before starting any hair loss treatment.
For the latest official updates on KX-826, see the Kintor Pharmaceutical company news page, the company developing the drug. That page updates itself as new announcements are made.
What is Koshine 826 (pyrilutamide / KX-826)?
Koshine 826 is the brand name for pyrilutamide, a topical drug also known as KX-826. It is being developed by Kintor Pharmaceutical, a company listed in Hong Kong, as a treatment for androgenetic alopecia (AGA), the common pattern hair loss that affects both men and women.
Pyrilutamide is an androgen receptor antagonist. In plain terms, it is designed to sit on the androgen receptor in the scalp and block the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) from attaching to it. DHT is the hormone most closely linked to the follicle shrinkage, or miniaturisation, that drives pattern hair loss. This puts KX-826 in the same broad class as Breezula (clascoterone), another topical androgen receptor blocker in development.
Here is where things stand, in short:
A topical androgen receptor blocker, applied to the scalp rather than swallowed
Developed by Kintor Pharmaceutical, with trials run in China and the United States
Blood levels after topical use are low, which is one reason it is being studied as an alternative to oral anti-androgens
The results have been genuinely mixed. Some trials met their goals, others did not
A US Phase 2 trial and an earlier China Phase 3 trial both failed to beat placebo by a statistically significant margin
A later China Phase 3 trial of a stronger 1.0% formulation, reported in March 2026, did meet its primary goal and clearly beat placebo
None of the trial data has yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. What is public comes from company press releases and conference posters
It is not approved as a medicine anywhere. Kintor has said it plans to apply for approval in China first, not the UK, US or EU
The same compound is now sold over the counter as a cosmetic, so you can buy it, but sold as a cosmetic it has not had the trial data to confirm it works for hair loss
How Koshine 826 is meant to work
Pyrilutamide is designed to block the androgen receptor locally in the scalp, competing with DHT so the hormone cannot deliver its follicle-shrinking signal.
In pattern hair loss, testosterone and its more potent form, DHT, bind to androgen receptors in genetically susceptible follicles. Over time this causes those follicles to miniaturise, so hairs grow back progressively finer, shorter and weaker until they stop growing altogether.
Pyrilutamide takes a different route from the widely used oral treatments. Finasteride and dutasteride lower DHT throughout the body by blocking the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase, which converts testosterone into DHT. Pyrilutamide does not lower DHT at all. Instead it competes with DHT for the androgen receptor itself, in the skin where it is applied, so that the hormone cannot deliver its shrinking signal to the follicle.
The appeal of a topical that works locally is the hope of fewer whole-body effects than oral anti-androgens. In the trials run so far, blood levels of the drug after topical use have been low, and no drug-related sexual side effects were reported in the long-term safety study. That is an encouraging early signal rather than a settled fact, because the trials have been relatively short and none has yet been independently published.
Does Koshine 826 actually work? What the trials show
This is where honesty matters, because the picture is genuinely mixed and the earlier version of this guide was too optimistic. The important yardstick in a hair loss trial is not whether hair count improved from a person's own starting point, but whether the drug beat a dummy (placebo) treatment by a statistically meaningful margin. Several KX-826 trials passed the first test but failed the second.
Early trials in China gave promising signals. A 24-week study in 160 women reported that the best-performing dose, 0.5% once daily, increased hair count by about 11 hairs per square centimetre from baseline, and a 24-week study in 120 men reported that 0.5% twice daily increased hair count by about 15 hairs per square centimetre. A US Phase 1 study in 40 men found the drug was well tolerated, with mild contact dermatitis the main side effect and low levels in the blood.
Then came two setbacks. A US Phase 2 trial in 123 men, reported in 2023, found that the 0.5% twice-daily dose increased hair count by roughly 10 hairs per square centimetre from baseline. That was statistically significant against the person's own starting point, but the improvement over placebo was not statistically significant. Around the same period, an earlier China Phase 3 trial of the 0.5% strength in men also improved hair count from baseline but, once again, did not significantly beat placebo. In other words, both of those studies missed the goal that matters most.
More recently the results have improved. In March 2025 Kintor reported a 52-week, open-label, long-term safety Phase 3 trial in China. Its main aim was safety, which it met, with a low rate of side effects and no drug-related sexual dysfunction reported. On the efficacy measures, 46% of patients gained at least 10 hairs per square centimetre and 20% gained at least 20 by 52 weeks. Because that study was open-label, with no placebo group for the efficacy comparison, those figures should be read with some caution.
The March 2026 Phase 3 result, and why it is the strongest data so far
In March 2026 Kintor announced top-line results from the Phase 3 stage of a larger, placebo-controlled pivotal trial, this time testing a stronger 1.0% formulation as well as 0.5%. This is the most convincing evidence to date. You can read the company's own announcement in the Kintor Phase 3 press release here.
The trial enrolled 666 men with pattern hair loss across 26 research centres in China, with a 24-week treatment period. After 24 weeks, hair count in the target area rose by 15.33 hairs per square centimetre from baseline on 1.0% twice daily and 14.46 on 0.5% twice daily, against 4.68 on placebo. That works out at 10.65 more hairs per square centimetre than placebo for the 1.0% dose and 9.78 more for the 0.5% dose, both statistically significant (reported at P below 0.0001). No drug-related serious side effects were reported, and side effect rates were similar across the treatment and placebo groups.
Two caveats are worth keeping in mind. First, these remain top-line, company-reported figures. As of mid 2026 none of the KX-826 trial results, including this one, has been published in full in a peer-reviewed journal, although the Phase 3 data was presented at the World Congress for Hair Research in Seoul in May 2026. Independent peer review is what allows outside experts to check a trial's methods and statistics, and it has not happened yet. Second, all the pivotal efficacy trials have been conducted in China, in Chinese men. Genetic background and hair characteristics vary between populations, so it does not automatically follow that the same result would appear in a broader group.
Is Koshine 826 approved or available in the UK?
Pyrilutamide is not approved or licensed as a medicine for hair loss in the UK, and it is not available on prescription here. It has not been licensed by the MHRA, the UK regulator, nor by the FDA in the United States, nor by EU regulators. The same compound is, however, now sold over the counter as a cosmetic, so you can buy it, as explained below.
Following the 2026 Phase 3 result, Kintor said it plans to apply for approval with the Chinese regulator first. Its public statements do not mention a UK, US or EU submission. Even in the best case, approval as a licensed medicine in a Western market would require further trials and regulatory review and would be years away. As a licensed medicine, then, pyrilutamide is still investigational. The compound itself, however, can be bought now, because Kintor sells it over the counter as a cosmetic, including in the UK, as explained below.
The Koshine 826 sold online: the same drug, sold as a cosmetic
Kintor sells its own consumer range under the Koshine brand, including on its own website and on Amazon. This is genuinely the same active molecule, pyrilutamide, offered at 0.5% and 0.9%, strengths that bracket the 0.5% and 1.0% used in the trials. It is Kintor's own product and the same drug, not a random imitation, so buying it as a cosmetic does not mean you are getting a different or weaker substance.
One thing worth knowing is that not all of the Koshine products are pyrilutamide on its own. The stronger 'Max' formulas combine 0.9% KX-826 with Kintor's own extra ingredients, including kopexil, which is related to minoxidil, and a compound they call kopyrrol. The trials tested pyrilutamide by itself, so if you want only the studied compound, the plain pyrilutamide solution is the closer match to what was tested.
The important point is what selling it as a cosmetic does and does not mean. Kintor states plainly in its own FAQ that the whole Koshine range is sold as a cosmetic, not a medicine. A cosmetic does not have to prove in trials that it is safe and effective for hair loss, so Kintor makes no licensed medical claim for it. That is why its benefit is described here as unproven: not because it is a different or weaker substance, but because, sold as a cosmetic, it has not been through the trials and approval that would confirm how well it works. It is the same drug as in the studies, available to buy now, but without that confirmation its results in everyday use are not guaranteed, and user reports so far have been mixed.
How Koshine 826 compares to finasteride
Finasteride reduces the conversion of testosterone to DHT across the body and has decades of clinical use behind it, along with a licence as a medicine. Pyrilutamide does not lower DHT at all. It blocks the androgen receptor locally in the scalp.
The theoretical attraction of a topical receptor blocker is fewer whole-body effects than an oral drug. But finasteride is an established, regulated treatment with a large body of long-term evidence, whereas pyrilutamide is investigational, has produced mixed trial results, and has no peer-reviewed data yet. A head-to-head trial comparing the two has not been done, so any claim that one is better than the other would be guesswork.
How Koshine 826 compares to minoxidil
Minoxidil works in a different way again. It does not touch the hormonal drivers of hair loss at all. It is thought to prolong the growth phase of the hair cycle and improve blood flow to the follicle, and it is available over the counter in the UK. Pyrilutamide targets the hormonal side of the process by blocking the androgen receptor.
Because the two act through different mechanisms, researchers have begun studying them together. Kintor has reported early observational data on KX-826 combined with minoxidil and presented it at the 2026 World Congress for Hair Research, but this is preliminary and would need a full controlled trial before any conclusions could be drawn.
How Koshine 826 compares to Breezula (clascoterone)
The closest comparison to pyrilutamide is Breezula (clascoterone), another topical androgen receptor blocker in development, made by a different company. Both aim to block DHT locally at the follicle rather than lowering it throughout the body.
Clascoterone's developer reported positive Phase 3 results in late 2025 and has said it is pursuing approval in the US and EU. Kintor, by contrast, has said it is pursuing approval in China first. The two are best thought of as competing candidates in the same new class, both still working their way towards regulatory approval, with neither yet available as a licensed hair loss medicine in the UK.
How does Koshine 826 compare to a hair transplant?
A topical drug and a hair transplant do different jobs. Any anti-androgen, pyrilutamide included, works only on follicles that are still present but under hormonal pressure. It cannot recreate follicles that have already been lost.
A hair transplant moves permanent donor follicles into areas of visible baldness, so in an area where the follicles are truly gone, surgery remains the only reliable way to restore density. Medical treatments, where they help, are usually aimed at slowing further loss and supporting the hair that remains. Which approach suits a particular person depends on the stage and pattern of their hair loss, and that is best assessed individually.
How Koshine 826 is best understood today
Pyrilutamide is a plausible idea with a genuinely mixed evidence record and, most recently, one strong placebo-controlled result. The mechanism, blocking the androgen receptor locally, is sound, and the March 2026 Phase 3 data showed a clear benefit over placebo. Against that, two earlier trials failed to beat placebo, all the pivotal efficacy data comes from China, and none of it has yet been peer-reviewed.
The sensible reading, for now, is cautious interest rather than either dismissal or hype. The decisive questions are whether the recent results are confirmed in published, independently scrutinised data, whether they hold up in wider populations, and whether the drug is ever submitted for approval in the UK. Until then it is not a licensed medicine here, although the same compound can now be bought over the counter as a cosmetic, as described above. If you are weighing up your options for hair loss, the most useful next step is an assessment with a suitably qualified professional who can look at the cause and set out the treatments that are actually licensed and proven.
Frequently asked questions
Is Koshine 826 available in the UK?
Not as a licensed medicine. Pyrilutamide has not been approved by the MHRA, so it is not available on prescription in the UK. The same compound is, however, sold over the counter as a cosmetic under the Koshine name and can be bought online, including in the UK. It is the same substance either way; being sold as a cosmetic simply means it has not had the trials and approval that would confirm how well it works, so its benefit for hair loss remains unproven.
Does Koshine 826 actually work?
The evidence is mixed. A US Phase 2 trial and an earlier China Phase 3 trial improved hair count from baseline but did not significantly beat placebo. A more recent China Phase 3 trial of a 1.0% formulation, reported in March 2026, did clearly beat placebo. That is the strongest result so far, but it has not yet been peer-reviewed and was conducted only in China, so it is best treated as encouraging rather than settled.
Is Koshine 826 safe?
In the trials run so far it has generally been well tolerated, with mild scalp irritation or contact dermatitis the most common side effect and low levels of the drug in the blood. A 52-week study reported no drug-related sexual side effects. However, the trials have been relatively short, none has been independently published, and long-term safety in wide use is not yet established. Anyone considering an anti-androgen should discuss it with a medical professional first.
Is the Koshine 826 sold on Amazon the same as the trial drug?
It is the same active drug, pyrilutamide, made by the same company, Kintor, so you are not getting a different substance. What is different is its status: it is sold as a cosmetic rather than as the trial medicine, which means it has not been through the trials that would confirm it works and carries no licensed medical claim. The plain solution is offered at 0.5% and 0.9%, close to the trial strengths, though some stronger 'Max' versions add other ingredients such as kopexil and so are not pyrilutamide on its own. User reports of the cosmetic have been mixed, so its benefit is best treated as unproven rather than guaranteed.
How is Koshine 826 different from finasteride?
Finasteride is an oral medicine that lowers DHT throughout the body and is licensed and widely used. Pyrilutamide is a topical that does not lower DHT but instead blocks the androgen receptor locally in the scalp. In theory a local topical may cause fewer whole-body effects, but pyrilutamide is investigational, its trial results are mixed, and no head-to-head comparison with finasteride has been done.
How does Koshine 826 compare to Breezula?
Both pyrilutamide and Breezula (clascoterone) are topical androgen receptor blockers in the same broad class, made by different companies. Clascoterone's developer reported positive Phase 3 data in late 2025 and is seeking US and EU approval, while Kintor is seeking approval in China first. Neither is yet a licensed hair loss medicine in the UK.
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