Dutasteride

For Hair Loss

Product Overview

The FDA issued approval of Dutasteride, the active ingredient in Avodart® on November 20th 2001. Its approved use is for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BHP), not as a hair loss treatment. Avodart® is produced by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

What’s unique about this product is that it reduces 2 enzymes (type 1 and type 2, 5-alpha reductase) which are responsible for the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It’s DHT that's believed responsible for hair loss as well as BHP. Initial studies show evidence that DHT levels can drop by 90% at 2 weeks and by 93% at 2 years. Dutasteride is also believed to provide greater (94% compared to 70%), and longer inhibition of DHT than Finasteride. Where Propecia (Finasteride) blocks one enzyme (type 2), Avodart® (Dutasteride 0.5mg) blocks both, which could make it a better product. Avodart® is expected to be on the market as a hair loss product in 2006 if approved by FDA.

Product Form

Dutasteride (0.5mg) is available by prescription for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BHP). It comes in the form of a softgel capsule taken by mouth and is usually recommended to be taken once a day with or without food.

Possible Results

Initial trial data is showing some very promising results. Using hair counts in a 1-inch circle, numbers increased by about 96 hairs with 0.5mg Dutasteride, compared to about 72 hairs with 0.5mg Finasteride. Increased dosages moved the hair count up to 108 hairs at 2.5 mg Dutasteride. Comparing Propecia (finasteride 5 mg) with the initial results with Dutasteride (2.5 mg), Dutasteride resulted in 1.5 times as many hairs.

Safety

Due to the fact that Phase III data is not available, the safety aspects of using Dutatseride as a hair loss product are not known. There are indications that the incidence of side effects is significantly higher than using Propecia, which may be due to its longer half-life. It is clear that this product is not to be used by women. Women who are pregnant should not handle or come in contact with Dutasteride as it may harm the fetus.