HAIR LOSS PREVENTION (11)

HAIR LOSS PREVENTION (11)

Prescription Drug Treatments

While topical solutions such as Rogaine® brand
monoxidil have been used to treat hair loss, Propecia®
brand Finasteride by Merck & Company, Inc. is the only
FDA approved pill approved for the prevention of hair loss
and possible hair re-growth. Like Rogaine®, Propecia® was
discovered when its generic equivalent being used for
another purpose was found to have beneficial side effects.
Finasteride is the generic name for the drug, which was
already in existence for quite some time and had been
produced under the name Proscar® by Merck & Company
and used for treatment of enlarged prostates, a syndrome
medically called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). BPH
is caused by an overproduction of DHT, which causes the
prostate to grow. Many BHP patients were also suffering
with MPB, and when patients began taking Proscar®, they
noticed the re-growth of hair also. This sparked new testing
and the birth of Propecia® as a hair restoration drug. The
approval of Propecia® by the FDA was easy to achieve,
since it was merely marketing already approved Finasteride
as a hair restoration drug, with a much smaller dosage than that required for BPH.
Propecia® is being prescribed by doctors to some
patients as an oral treatment to internally block the
production of DHT. Propecia is an androgen hormone
inhibitor only approved for men, and has been clinically
proven to grow hair on a significant percentage of men who
suffer with Male Pattern Baldness (MPB) or more properly
androgenetic alopecia. Unfortunately, the drug has not been
approved for use by women at this time. This is especially
true for women who are pregnant or can become pregnant,
because the process of inhibiting testosterone from being
converted to DHT can affect secondary sex characteristics of unborn fetuses.
Propecia® works by reversing the shrinkage of hair
follicles that are in the telogen phase, or last phase of the
normal hair cycle. Propecia® works best in combination
with topical treatments of Monoxidil such as Rogaine®.
Participants in studies have seen hair grow in as little as six
months, whereas those who have seen no results in a year’s
time are reported not likely to see any results from the drug.
One round of testing of over 2,000 men with androgenetic
alopecia over a four-year period showed half with reported new hair growth.
Side effects of Propecia® in a few persons studied
include diminished sex drive, difficulty in achieving an
erection, and a decreased sperm production. Side effects
were found in less than three percent of participants in
clinical studies. Fortunately when the drug’s use was
discontinued, the side effects went away and normal
functions resumed. Of course there are some who say that
the growth of new hair is worth the cost of a drop in libido.
Only you can decide whether this side effect is worth the
personal cost to you. Finasteride is metabolized primarily
by the liver, and therefore anyone suffering with liver
disease may not be able to take the drug, and should consult
a physician. Additionally, as with Monoxidil, it can mask
PSA levels, thus caution should be used if used by patients
with elevated PSA levels, as it may be difficult to read
levels properly when diagnosing potential prostate cancer.
Of course proper consultation with your physician will help
determine if taking Finasteride treatments such as Propecia® is right for you.
An interesting phenomena concerning Propecia® is
the dramatic rise in price it caused for Finasteride when it
entered the market as a hair restoration drug. Propecia® is
simply a 1mg version of Finasteride, a drug that was
already being marketed as Proscar® for BPH by the same
company that markets Propecia®, Merck & Company, Inc.
Therefore there should not be an increase of any kind in the
cost of production of Finasteride, since it was simply being
marketed under a new name at a much smaller dosage.
Merck & Company therefore was prepared to introduce
Propecia at the price of $1.25 per pill or $37.50 for a 30-
day supply in 1998. However, after reconsiderations it was
decided that Propecia would be introduced at $50 for a onemonth
supply. This is compared to a 30-day supply of
Proscar® which is 5mg Finasteride being marketed at $55-
60.00 for a 30-day supply. The price was adjusted to be in
the range of Rogaine® Extra Strength. The price of
Propecia® today in 2004 is in the range of $130 for a 30-
day supply, while Proscar® prices have risen at a much
slower pace, and is now less expensive than the same
Finasteride drug that is 1/5th the dosage. Doctors of course
are discouraged by pharmaceutical companies to prescribe
Proscar for cosmetic treatment of androgenetic alopecia. Of
course there are always going to be those who find ways to
circumvent this. Therefore, many have been driven to find
ways to purchase Proscar® and divide the pill into fourths
or fifths instead of paying the exorbitant prices for the very same Finasteride.