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• PROPECIA NOT EFFECTIVE FOR WOMEN

• HairSite Editorial - 4/30/98

• Merck & Co., Inc. Press Release - 5/98

• TSE Publishing, Inc.  HairSite@aol.com

New research presented at the 1998 International Hair Loss Workshop in Belgium concluded that Propecia is not effective for women with hair loss. The results of a 12-month clinical study involving 136 post-menopausal women showed that there was no significant difference between the participants who took Propecia and the control group who was given a placebo. According to Dr. Joanne Waldstreicher, Senior Director, Clinical Research - Merck Research Laboratories, "while Propecia is very effective in treating most men with male pattern hair loss, we now know it is not a useful treatment option for post-menopausal women."

In December 1997, Propecia was approved by the FDA as the first ever anti-baldness pill. In clinical testings involving over 1,800 men, 18 to 41,   with mild to moderate hair loss on the vertex and anterior mid scalp area, Propecia was given to the participants over a two year period. The results of the clinical testings showed that hair count increased during the first year and was maintained in those participants taking Propecia while the control group continued to show progressive hair loss during the same period of time.

Dr. Waldstreicher commented that women normally have lower levels of androgens (ie: male sex hormones such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone or DHT) than men and as  a result, women may not stand to benefit from Propecia to the same extent as men. Propecia slows down hair loss by reducing the formation of DHT - a derivative of the male hormone testosterone that is believed to be the main cause of hair loss in male.

Preliminary data from the study are available on 65 women treated with Propecia and 69 women who were given a placebo. Hair counts were examined from a 1 centimeter square area in the anterior and mid-area portion of the scalp during a 12 month period. The results of the study showed that the participants treated with Propecia experienced an 8.4% decrease in hair counts while the control group using the placebo experienced a 6.5% decrease in hair count. Also, photographs of the scalp were examined by a panel of dermatologists and no noticeable difference is found. Based on the above statistical results, Dr, Waldstreicher commented that "with no demonstrated efficacy and the known risks of Propecia in women who are or may potentially be pregnant, this study establishes that Propecia should be used in men only."

On the other hand, the clinical results on men showed a different story. According to Merck & Co., in a 24-month study involving 1,215 men with varying degree of hair loss in the vertex area of the scalp, 83 % of the subjects reported the same of higher hair count versus only 28% for the control group. Most men reported an increase in the amount of hair and decrease in hair loss. It may take up to 6 months to see results. At this point, there is not sufficient evidence to show that Propecia will work for the temporal areas.

Merck cautioned that women who are or may potentially be pregnant must not use Propecia and should not handle crushed or broken tablets because it may cause abnormalities of the male fetus and birth defects. Propecia tablets are all coated with a protective layer so that there will be very little chance of direct contact with the active ingredients.