Prince William could be using propecia

Prince William is concerned about his thinning hair Poor old Prince William! At Ukmedix News we have written before about his male pattern baldness which is affecting him at an unusually young age of only 25. According to UK news reports it appears that he is finally trying to do something about it and has sent aides who work for him in London to a Harley Street clinic that specialises in male pattern baldness.

While the reports cannot be conclusively confirmed and were denied by a spokesman from Clarence House it is almost certain that Prince William is concerned about his thinning hair and it is extremely unlikely that he has done nothing about it.

The news reports in the United Kingdom said that Prince William had been inquiring about the hair loss drug Propecia and at a glance he would seem to be a perfect candidate for that medication. Propecia is the most successful hair loss medication and is known to help around 80 percent of men with their pattern baldness.

It is bad enough that you suffer from male pattern baldness but for Prince William each time he loses a little bit more hair there is massive speculation in the press which can only add to his anxiety and worry about his hair loss.

Male pattern baldness is not actually an illness but purely a harmless and normal genetic condition however the fact that it causes such distress, anxiety and depression to many men means that it can be classified as something that needs treatment in order to ensure the well being of the patient.

Not everyone sympathises with Prince William as they say he hardly has a bad lot in life being born as an heir to the throne of England, Scotland and Wales and that he lives a life of gilded luxury and privilege. However there is no saying or knowing how Prince William’s confidence will be affected by his hair loss and how he feels about rampant press speculation every time his hair loss is reported.

At Ukmedix News we wish Prince William the best of luck in regrowing his hair with Propecia and hope that the treatment is successful.

Good News For Propecia Users

a blood test which would evaluate the risk of them developing prostate cancerA research project done which looked at the incidences of cancer of the prostrate in Swedish men saw that a combination of five specific genes greatly increased the likelihood of them suffering from the disease. The researchers said that along with a family history of suffering from prostate cancer almost 50 percent of cases could be foretold by this gene testing beforehand.

Obviously it would be extremely beneficial for doctors and patients if they could know for sure that in the future prostate cancer was going to develop because affirmative action could be taken to prevent it. This could mean that in the future men would be given a simple blood test which would evaluate the risk of them developing prostate cancer. This means that they could be given regular checks and actually offered preventative treatment to stop the prostate cancer forming in the first place.

Interestingly the finasteride drug which is the active compound in the hair loss drug Propecia is seen to be effective in preventing the prostate cancer disease forming. In testing it has been shown that regular use of Propecia (even though it is for hair loss) can reduce the likelihood of suffering from prostate cancer in the future.

Dr Teri Manolio working at the National Human Genome Research Institute in America said that his genetic research could be used to develop a simple gene test that would very accurately predict the risk of cancer of the prostate which could lead to far better survival and recovery rates. The research was done by doctors at Wake Forest University in North Carolina and they also took advice from the Johns Hopkins University based in Baltimore as well as the Karolinska Institute based in Stockholm, Sweden.

This research is likely to encourage more study in the area and could interest large pharmaceutical companies who would see a considerable financial gain to be made as cancer of the prostate is the most common form of cancer in American men.

Good News For Propecia Users

the Southwest Oncology Group looked at more than 17,000 menThe good news for men using the hair loss drug Propecia made by the pharmaceutical company Merck is that following ongoing testing over seven years it is clear that the medication is extremely unlikely to make men suffer from erectile dysfunction. The active ingredient of the Propecia drug is finasteride and it is also used to treat men who suffer from cancer of the prostate. In fact its original application was for this illness and it was only noted that at a later stage that men who used it suffered less from male pattern baldness and that it could even reverse the effects of the genetic condition.

The research that was done by the Southwest Oncology Group looked at more than 17,000 men who were over the age of 50 and who were regular users of the finasteride drug. The dose that men get to treat cancer of the prostate is a much larger does than is used for men who suffer from male pattern baldness, and it was seen that those men using the finasteride did not report more erectile dysfunction than those men given a placebo tablet over the years.

At Ukmedix News we have two observations to make regarding the purported link between erectile dysfunction as a side effect and the Propecia hair loss drug. Firstly over a certain time the body adjusts to the finasteride in the system and any slight erectile function difficulties are likely to go away. If you are using the Propecia drug and it is affecting your erectile function only slightly you should give it a bit of time and it should go away naturally on its own.

Secondly those men overly concerned that Propecia may have an effect on their erectile function may suffer from a psychological lack of confidence due to using the drug which could materialise in performance anxiety in the bedroom. Men should be aware that only in 1% of cases were any difficulties with erectile function encountered and many of these could be entirely unconnected to the use of the Propecia drug.

Propecia Oral Precautions

Before taking finasteride, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or if you have any other allergies. Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of: liver disease, prostate cancer, infections, urinary problems (Propecia Pill ). Finasteride should not be used in children. The medication can be absorbed through the skin. If the film coating of the tablet has been broken or the tablet crushed, it should not be handled by a female who is pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Exposing a developing male infant to finasteride can result in abnormalities of the genitals. Finasteride is not recommended for use in women and must not be used during pregnancy. If you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant (Propecia Pill ), inform your doctor immediately. Because this medication is not indicated for use in women, it is not known if finasteride passes into breast milk. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding.
 

New data from three studies presented here today at the prestigious World Congress of Dermatology show that Propecia Pill(TM) (finasteride 1 mg), Merck & Co. Inc.’s investigational oral treatment for men with male pattern hair loss, prevented further hair loss in treated men and increased hair growth in both frontal and vertex areas of the scalp in many men. These new results broaden knowledge about the potential role for Propecia Pill in men with mild-to-moderate male pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia). Data from two Phase III clinical trials of 1,553 men with predominant thinning in the vertex (top of the head), presented earlier this year at the American Academy of Dermatology, demonstrated significant improvement in hair in men taking Propecia Pill compared to those receiving a placebo.

In those studies, 86 percent of men maintained or showed an increase in the amount of their hair based on hair counts during the course of the studies, compared with 42 percent of men receiving placebo.

The application for Propecia Pill is under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Upon clearance, Propecia Pill would be the first oral treatment taken once-a-day for the prevention of further hair loss and for regrowth in the most common sites of hair thinning in men. Upon marketing, it will be indicated for use in men only.

In the first presentation of the Phase III frontal hair loss study results, data show Propecia Pill significantly increased frontal scalp hair counts from baseline for patients taking Propecia Pill compared to those taking placebo. Cosmetic improvement was assessed by patients, investigators and an expert panel of dermatologists who viewed patient photographs.

Results of this 12-month study of 326 men aged 20 to 41 with mild-to-moderate frontal hair thinning show:

– In the patient assessment, 53 percent of men with frontal hair loss reported that treatment with Propecia Pill led to an improvement in the appearance of their hair, versus 30 percent of men taking placebo. Significant improvements were seen in men as early as Month 3 and were generally maintained or improved throughout the one-year study.

– Clinical investigators rated 52 percent of patients treated with Propecia Pill as showing increased hair growth versus 31 percent of men treated with placebo.

– An expert panel of dermatologists evaluating patient photographs rated 37 percent of patients treated with Propecia Pill as having increased hair growth. By comparison, only 7 percent of patients on placebo were reported to show improvement.

Using another measurement technique in this trial, investigators reported a significant improvement for men treated with Propecia Pill compared to those taking placebo in the hair density and pattern in three sections of the scalp — frontal, mid-area and vertex.

In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, hair counts were measured in a representative 1 cm2 area of thinning hair in the frontal scalp.

“The frontal study is unique because hair loss studies in men typically evaluate hair growth at the vertex,” said Keith Kaufman, M.D., senior director, clinical research, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, NJ. “Frontal thinning is commonly seen in men and it is what they may first notice when they look in the mirror.”

The frontal study results presented today are the third component of the Phase III clinical trial program for Propecia Pill, which has involved a total of 1,879 men in the United States and worldwide.

Results of the studies with Propecia Pill in preventing further hair loss also were described. A comprehensive analysis of the two Phase III trials on vertex hair loss confirmed that Propecia Pill prevented further hair loss in treated men. Hair loss in the placebo group was confirmed in each study demonstrating the progressive natural history of the hair loss process.

Based on hair counts in the two 12-month studies of men with vertex hair loss, only 14 percent of men in the group taking Propecia Pill lost hair, based on any decrease in hair count from baseline, while 58 percent of men in the placebo group continued to lose hair. In the patient questionnaire, 68 percent of men taking Propecia Pill reported that their hair loss had slowed compared to 45 percent of those taking placebo. At Month 3, figures from the patient questionnaire were 54 and 44 percent respectively.

In the frontal study, men treated with Propecia Pill also reported that their hair loss was slowing by Month 3 with 65 percent citing it by Month 12. After a year, only 45 percent of men treated with placebo reported any decrease in their hair loss.

Scientists believe that male pattern hair loss is genetically linked and triggered by the presence of dihydrotestosterone or DHT. “The ability to increase hair growth and prevent further hair loss, by specifically lowering DHT with finasteride 1 mg, provides a potential new oral therapeutic option with an excellent risk-benefit ratio for the treatment of men with male pattern hair loss,” Dr. Kaufman said.

Drug Very Well-Tolerated in Men

The tolerability of Propecia Pill was reinforced by the new data. The drug was very well tolerated, with most patients reporting no significant side effects. In the Phase III studies of 1,879 men, the overall safety profile for Propecia Pill and placebo was similar.

Side effects were infrequent and occurred in a small number of men. The only ones occurring in more than one percent of patients were decreased libido (1.8 percent of patients treated with Propecia Pill versus 1.3 percent on placebo) and erectile dysfunction (1.3 percent Propecia Pill versus 0.7 percent placebo). Decreased volume of ejaculate was reported by 0.8 percent of men treated with Propecia Pill versus 0.4 percent of those taking placebo.

“For the overwhelming majority of men — 96 percent — who took finasteride, ranging in age in our studies from 18 to 41, these side effects were not reported,” Dr. Kaufman noted. “These side effects were reversible in men who discontinued therapy and even resolved in many of these patients who preferred to continue treatment.”

Contraindicated in Pregnant Women

Propecia Pill is for use by men only. Women who are or may be pregnant must not use Propecia Pill, since it may cause a specific birth defect in a male fetus (hypospadias).

Getting to the Root of the Problem

Propecia Pill works by treating an underlying cause of male pattern hair loss by inhibiting the production of DHT, which is believed to be a major cause of hair loss. The enzyme Type II 5-alpha-reductase is involved in the production of DHT. Propecia Pill inhibits the action of Type II 5-alpha-reductase, thereby decreasing DHT concentrations in treated men by approximately 60 percent.

“This approach represents an important advance in our understanding of the science of hair loss,” Dr. Kaufman commented. “Male pattern hair loss is characterized by progressive miniaturization of hair follicles and finasteride inhibits a key factor responsible for this miniaturization. This leads to a reversal of the process of scalp hair loss in many men.”

Merck submitted new drug applications beginning in December 1996 for clearance to market Propecia Pill worldwide. “If cleared for marketing, we believe Propecia Pill will be an important product as the first oral medication for the treatment of men with male pattern hair loss,” Dr. Kaufman added.