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Topical Finasteride
Topical Finasteride
June 15, 2014Dutasteride, Finasteride, P-3074, Propecia, Type I 5α-reductase, Type II 5α-reductase
Update: I got an e-mail from Dr. Hasson & Wong’s office on June 17 stating the following:
“Dr. Hasson is prescribing topical Finasteride to some of his patients and it is being prepared at a pharmacy close to our clinic. To date the results have been very similar to the oral Finasteride.”
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In recent years there have been many anecdotal reports of topical (typically in gel or solution form) finasteride resulting in similar or greater increases in hair count compared to finasteride pills, but with fewer side effects. For some reason, the manufacturer of Propecia (Merck) does not seem to have tried to develop such a product despite Propecia getting significant negative publicity of late due to some users suffering from long-term sexual side effects. Merck even applied for a patent for topical finasteride in 2002, but to date has never tried to develop any topical version of Propecia.
The reason I am posting about this subject now is because an important clinical trial/study for P-3074 (a new topical finasteride solution with hydroxypropyl-chitosan as film-forming agent) was just completed in Switzerland at the end of May 2014. The study was funded by Swiss company Polichem, which primarily specializes in dermatological and gynecological products. The interesting thing about this study was that four different doses (ranging from around 0.25 mg to 1 mg) of finasteride were tested among 32 study participants (with 8 of those 32 getting a placebo dose). One negative thing about the study was that only a 7-day dose of the topical P-3074 solution was administered, and there will therefore be no long-term measurement of the effectiveness of P-3074. In any event, it will be interesting to see the results of this study regarding yet one new product in our arsenal to fight hair loss until a cure comes out.
One other thing of note is that a similar trial (although at just one dosage level of 0.25 mg per day) for P-3074 was conducted in the past and its findings were presented last year at the 7th World Congress on Hair Research (WCHR 2013). The conclusion of that trial (found here under P040) was quite significant:
These findings show that DHT concentration in the scalp, after 7-day treatment course of P-3074 once daily, was more reduced (about 40%) than after 1 mg oral finasteride administration for the same treatment period.
There have been other studies done in the past that concluded favorable results from topical finasteride. For example, a 2009 study from Iran concluded ” the therapeutic effects of both finasteride gel and finasteride tablet were relatively similar to each other.” Nothing is mentioned regarding side effects in the abstract of that study though. A more recent 2012 study from Thailand concluded that a 3% minoxidil plus 0.1% finasteride lotion (“MFX”) was superior to just 3% minoxidil (“MNX’). There is also an increasing amount of new research on better ways to deliver topical finasteride, especially via nanocarriers.
What I am really hoping for are future studies on topical dutasteride. The main reason for this, besides Dutasteride’s superior results to Finasteride when taken in pill form, is that type I 5α-reductase isoenzymes are more prevalent on the scalp, while type II 5α-reductase isoenzymes are more prevalent in the prostate. Finasteride primarily inhibits type II 5α-reductase, while Dutasteride also inhibits type I 5α-reductase. I would therefore not be surprised if topical dutasteride’s superiority over topical finasteride is even greater than the superiority of dutasteride pills over finasteride pills. Hopefully, there will also be fewer side effects even after accounting for some systemic absorption via the scalp.
A few hair transplant surgeons (such as the famous Hasson & Wong in Vancouver, Canada) are also rumored to have developed their own topical finasteride solution, probably in tandem with local pharmacies. If you happen to have heard more on this, please post in the comment section below this post. Some hair loss forum participants seem to have tried to develop their own topical finasteride or even topical dutasteride, something I would not recommend. The science of topical medication delivery is a bit too complex for the vast majority of us to be experimenting with.
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