About

How we check sources

Chik Dorjé is your independent guide to hair-loss treatments and research. Here's where our information comes from, what every label means, and what this early version can't do just yet.

This is a prototype

Sources were checked against the original documents, but no clinician has reviewed the content, and nothing here has been assessed for regulatory compliance. It is general information, not medical advice, and it does not recommend any treatment for you.

What this site is, and is not

It is a place to research treatments, follow emerging research and find clinicians.
It is not a pharmacy or a prescribing service, and it does not diagnose anything.
It does not tell you which treatment to use. Only a clinician who knows your situation can do that.
It does not promote any product, and it does not link treatments to places that sell them.

Where information comes from

Every statement on a treatment page is linked to one of these kinds of source, and we say which.

Regulator record: An official record from a medicines or devices regulator, such as a label, an approval letter or a register entry.
Trial registry: An entry in a public clinical-trial registry such as ClinicalTrials.gov. Sponsors update these themselves, so an entry can lag behind events.
Peer-reviewed paper: A paper in a scientific journal that has been through peer review.
Guideline: A clinical practice guideline written by a professional body.
Conference abstractNot peer-reviewed: A short summary presented at a scientific meeting. It is not the same as a full peer-reviewed paper.
Company announcementNot peer-reviewed: An announcement by the company developing the treatment. It has not been independently reviewed and may be selective about what it reports.
Other source: A source that does not fit the groups above. What it is, and why it is used, is explained where it appears.

We read the original document and note the date. We prefer regulators and registries over news reports, and we do not use clinic or affiliate websites as sources. “Checked” means a statement matched its source on that date. It does not mean a clinician judged the statement to be fair or complete.

How we describe evidence

This scale describes what kind of evidence exists. It does not say how well a treatment works, and it is not a recommendation.

Multiple randomised trials: Several randomised controlled trials and/or systematic reviews have been published.
One randomised trial: One randomised controlled trial has been published or reported to a regulator.
Sponsor-announced trial results: Results from larger, late-stage human trials have been announced by the developer but are not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Early human studies: Only small, early-phase or uncontrolled human studies have been reported.
Laboratory or animal studies only: Only laboratory or animal research has been reported.
Not established: There is not enough reported evidence to place it on this scale.

Regulatory status

Approval depends on the country and the condition. We show the status for the country you choose, and say plainly when we have not checked.

Approved: Approved by the regulator for this condition.
Used off-label: Approved for something else, and not approved for this condition; a clinician may use it outside its approval.
Investigational: Being studied in clinical trials. Not approved.
Not approved: Not approved for this condition in this country.
Cosmetic or unregulated: Sold as a cosmetic or general product, without a medical approval for this condition.
Device authorised: Authorised or cleared as a medical device.
Not yet verified: We have not yet verified this. Do not rely on it.

Company announcements and results

When a company announces trial results, we record them as reported, label them Sponsor-reported and list their limitations, such as whether there was a comparison group or whether only relative changes were given. Peer-reviewed papers are labelled separately, and the two are never blended. Registry entries are shown as they read on the day we checked them.

What we do not publish

Expected approval or launch dates. Only events that have already happened are listed.
Claims that a treatment works, or is safe, for any individual.
Promotional wording, testimonials, or ways to obtain unapproved medicines.

Limits of this prototype

Content has not been reviewed by a clinician.
Regulatory status is recorded for Australia and the United States only, and some entries are marked not verified.
Clinician listings are demo examples; no real clinicians are listed yet.
Sections that handle personal health information are switched off until their safeguards are in place.