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Dutasteride superior to finasteride in restoring hair in male alopecia patients
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Daily treatments of dutasteride 0.5 mg were more effective than finasteride 1 mg daily or placebo in increasing hair count and width in men with androgenetic alopecia, according to recent study results.
Researchers randomly assigned 917 men, aged 25 to 50 years with androgenetic alopecia, to dutasteride at 0.02 mg/day (n=185), 0.1 mg/day (n=188), or 0.5 mg/day (n=184), finasteride at 1 mg/day (n=179) or placebo (n=181) for 24 weeks. Hair count in a 2.54-cm diameter was the primary endpoint, while hair count (1.13-cm diameter) and width, photographic assessments by investigators and panel, change in stage and health outcomes also were assessed.
Researchers observed that in patients assigned dutasteride, hair count and width increased dose-dependently. At week 24, dutasteride 0.5 mg increased hair count (P=.003) and width (P=.004) in a 2.54-cm diameter and improved hair growth (frontal view, panel photographic assessment; P=.002) compared with finasteride and placebo (P<.001, all).
Adverse events were mostly moderate, and overall incidence was similar between the placebo (n=94), 0.02 mg dutasteride (n=91), 0.1 mg dutasteride (n=95), 0.5 mg dutasteride (n=100) and finasteride (n=94) groups.
“Dutasteride 0.5 mg was statistically superior to finasteride 1 mg and placebo, whereas finasteride was superior to placebo, at increasing hair count and width after 24 weeks of treatment in men with androgenetic alopecia,” the researchers concluded. “Consistent with previously reported data, dutasteride and finasteride were relatively well tolerated with similar tolerability data.
“To our knowledge, this phase 3 study is the first to compare dutasteride 0.5 mg with finasteride 1 mg for the treatment of male androgenic alopecia.”
Disclosure: See the study for a full list of relevant financial disclosures.
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