Colchamiro, Russ Rogaine gets new Rx competition. (Propecia)
American Druggist v215, n2 (Feb, 1998):29 (1 pages).COPYRIGHT 1998 American Druggist, Inc. Merck has launched Propecia (finasteride), the first treatment for hair loss in a
pill form. Its approval as a prescription drug follows the December over-the-counter approval of Pharmacia & Upjohn's Rogaine 5%. Both products are indicated only for men.
An estimated 33 million American men have male pattern baldness.
Jack Lamberton of NatWest Securities Corp., forecasted peak annual sales of Propecia of $1.5 to $2 billion in a Dec.
19 article in The Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, sales of 2% Rogaine, a product indicated for both men and women, totaled $81 million in supermarket, drug stores and mass merchandising
stores in the 52-week-period ending Dec. 7, 1997, according to Information Resources, Chicago.
With Propecia, it can take three or more months before any benefits are
noticeable. And if treatment stops, any hair growth will likely be lost.
Pharmacia & Upjohn says its new, stronger version of Rogaine with 5% minoxidil grows 45% more hair
than the regular strength Rogaine, with effects taking place in two months, compared with four months for the 2% strength.
Both Rogaine products may cause side effects such as
itchy, dry scalp, while infrequent Propecia side effects relate to sexual function in men. Rogaine 5% may cause facial hair growth in women, while Propecia may cause birth defects.
Also, women who are or intend to become pregnant should not handle crushed or broken Propecia tablets.
The active ingredient in Propecia was initially approved in 1992 as Proscar, a
treatment for prostate enlargement. It was observed that some patients taking finasteride had some regrowth of hair in areas of male pattern baldness. Propecia contains 1 mg of
finasteride as compared to 5 mg for Proscar. Propecia works by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone to DHT (dihydrotestosterone).
Three one-year, double-blind, placebo
controlled, multicenter trials of Propecia involved 1,879 men aged 18 to 41 with mild to moderate hair loss of the vertex and anterior mid-scalp regions. In addition, 1,215 of the men with
hair loss at the vertex were studied for another year.
Hair count increased during the first year and was maintained in those men taking Propecia for 24 months. Meanwhile, men
in the placebo group continued to show progressive hair loss. Of the men studied for up to two years, only 17% demonstrated hair loss while 83% had the same or higher hair count.
