Question

Allergan will announce the results of the high concentration bimatoprost for scalp clinical trials sometime late october.

I expect it will be far more effective than minoxidil (3 or 4 times more effective without the side effects). I have multiple reasons for this belief but don't feel like typing/explaining it all.

My question is;

Lets say Allergan releases great results for the trial. Do you think people, other companies , or doctors will start producing their own high concentration bimatoprost solutions?

IF it's far better than min, it would be in the range to actually help moderate sufferers. As I believe Min adds about 10-15% density on the best recipient?(correct me if I'm wrong).

Personally I suspect SLIGHTLY better results than Min, somewhere in the 20% range, which still makes it a great alternative.

anything higher and you're verging on a moderate/minor hairloss cure.

As for your question, isn't it only Allergan that can sell this product?

This is a patent law question.

Bimatoprost is already off-patent for the eye drops, but this will be a new, much stronger formulation for hair loss. If they are able to get it covered under a new patent then they would be the only ones allowed to sell it.

Sort of like how the Proscar patents expired a while ago, but the Propecia patents are only just expiring now, even though they are the same drug.

So in short - I don't know, but considering what happened with Propecia I would expect Allergan will be able to take out a new patent so that only they can sell it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pate

This is a patent law question.

Bimatoprost is already off-patent for the eye drops, but this will be a new, much stronger formulation for hair loss. If they are able to get it covered under a new patent then they would be the only ones allowed to sell it.

Sort of like how the Proscar patents expired a while ago, but the Propecia patents are only just expiring now, even though they are the same drug.

So in short - I don't know, but considering what happened with Propecia I would expect Allergan will be able to take out a new patent so that only they can sell it.

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exactly why patents are ghey.

Patents should have nothing to do with hairloss.

Hopefully we can all concoct our own formulas if us sufferers are ****ed over again by outdated legalities.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kiwi

exactly why patents are ghey.

Patents should have nothing to do with hairloss.

Hopefully we can all concoct our own formulas if us sufferers are ****ed over again by outdated legalities.

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Just to play Devil's Advocate for a second:

If companies didn't believe they could be the sole owner of and hugely profit from their discoveries, how many do you think would pour money into hairloss? In your scenerio, Allergan wouldn't be able to patent anything, so upon completion of a new discovery and set of trials, anyone could sell it. Do you really think they'd have bothered to do the research in the first place in that scenario?

There are, of course, researchers who just want to make the world a better place, not make money. But all those people are out trying to cure cancer, not male pattern baldness. Without the all might dollar calling the shots, competitors (who don't have to make up all the research costs) would be able to sell their own concentrations of bimatoprost. But there may have never been a "higher concentration" to sell in the first place.

But then again, maybe it would come to exist anyway, and we'd get it way faster and cheaper without patents. Patents are a tricky subject, but they're not bad at heart. They're just abused.

[QUOTE=Person;83847]Allergan will announce the results of the high concentration bimatoprost for scalp clinical trials sometime late october./QUOTE]

You posted this in the main bim thread which would indicate we won't be hearing results in October but more likely next year.
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David Risinger - Morgan Stanley, Research Division

My question is for Scott. Scott, I'm hoping that you can comment on the timing for LATISSE for hair loss. On clinicaltrials.gov, it indicates that the 2 Phase III trials in men and women are supposed to be completing in September. So that's next month. Just wondering, specifically, what investors should expect in terms of communication i.e., would you issue a press release before you present data at a medical conference? Do you not plan to disclose that data at all? How should we think about being informed about those Phase II results later this year?

Scott M. Whitcup

Sure. So like you stated, we have 2 programs: one in typical male pattern baldness; and 1 in female hair thinning. Both of those trials are fully recruited. Our plan will be to present those data at medical conferences, and those should be next year. We won't have the data until just before that, especially for our Phase II program. We wouldn't plan to issue a press release, but are always committed to try to get those out into medical conferences as soon as we can.

[QUOTE=MrBlonde;84166][QUOTE=Person;83847]Allergan will announce the results of the high concentration bimatoprost for scalp clinical trials sometime late october./QUOTE]

You posted this in the main bim thread which would indicate we won't be hearing results in October but more likely next year.
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Ya that was from a press release a while ago. I imagine they will show details of the study and specific outcomes then (JAN or FEB). But, they always have end of quarter updates and earnings calls and things like that. I bet they will discuss very briefly bim for scalp. For example say that they are impressed with the results and that it is enough to continue to phase III, and that results will be available in Jan/Feb.

Hopefully they will say more though.

Hey guys,

Something that worries me about Bimatoprost and Prostaglandin analogues in general is their potential to cause skin pigmentation. A lot of glaucoma patients putting this stuff in their eyes, don't just get their iris colour changed, they also have a pigmented eye lids, which is darker than their natural skin colour.

Now if we're putting much higher doses on much larger areas, the potential for patchy pigmentation is quite high. Now that wouldn't be a problem if you have hair, but what if (what if) for whatever reason you give up on this treatment and you lose your hair. Then you may have pigmentations all over your scalp!!

Let's hope I'm wrong though :(