February 10, 2003
Flutamide
Shows Promise as Treatment for Alopecia in Women
By Alison McCook
NEW YORK
(Reuters Health) Feb 10 - Women with hyperandrogenic alopecia may benefit from
treatment with flutamide, findings from a small study suggest.
In a trial
involving 48 women with alopecia, more women who took flutamide for 1 year said
their hair regrew, had stopped thinning and had improved in overall appearance
than did those who received other agents or no treatment at all.
However, study
author Dr. Rogerio Lobo, from Columbia University in New York, cautioned that
the improvement women saw with flutamide "was not dramatic."
"The improvement
I would classify as being 'moderate'," Dr. Lobo told Reuters Health.
Trials of
treatments that block androgens to help prevent hair loss in women "have been
generally unsuccessful," Dr. Lobo and coauthor Dr. Enrico Carmina write in the
January issue of Fertility and Sterility.
In the current
study, flutamide was compared with cyproterone acetate and finasteride (Propecia).
All of the women were premenopausal and had hyperandrogenic alopecia. Twelve
women were assigned to receive each one of the three treatments, and another 12
underwent no treatment for 1 year.
At 1 year, eight
women taking flutamide said their rate of hair loss had decreased, relative to
only three given cyproterone acetate and one who received finasteride. In
addition, patients taking flutamide were more satisfied with their treatment and
were more likely to report an improvement in hair regrowth and appearance.
The researchers
limited the dose of flutamide to 250 milligrams per day because the drug has
been linked to liver damage. Indeed, 2 of the 12 women who received flutamide
experienced a mild, reversible increase in liver enzymes, the authors note.
All patients
treated with flutamide "need close monitoring for liver function," Dr. Lobo told
Reuters Health.
For some women
who are losing hair, flutamide might now represent a treatment option, the
researcher noted. "Some but not all women would be eligible to try flutamide if
they have been fully evaluated, have a significant problem, and if nothing in
the past has helped," Dr. Lobo said.
 
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