Clinical Trial Probes Safety of DA-4001 Male Hair Loss Treatment
A new Korean study into the use of the well-known hair loss drug Finasteride used topically appears to be building on findings learned from an earlier trial in which test subjects also deviated from the drug’s normal oral application.
Long-proven as a successful treatment for male pattern baldness, Finasteride is without exception always taken in pill form in doses of 1mg. The manufacturers do not support any other application and this is the format which is clinically proven to treat this hereditary condition.
But a test undertaken at the Catholic Medical Centre in Seoul, South Korea, between October 2014 and the summer of 2015 seems to have piqued scientists’ interests. In that test, doctors appear to have investigated whether finasteride could be applied directly to the scalp just like minoxidil, a well-known unisex genetic hair loss treatment that is applied topically and is also licensed by the MHRA and approved by the FDA for this purpose.
In the original clinical trail registration submitted at clinicaltrials.gov, the South Korean team wrote that the study was “designed to explore the efficacy and safety of DA-4001C after topical application in male patients with androgenetic alopecia (Male Pattern Baldness).”
Given that they then state that the investigational products are finasteride and minoxidil (with minoxidil being named as a comparator), it can be assumed that DA-4001C must be a topical formulation based on finasteride.
The original test involved 60 people with Male Pattern Baldness and, while no results have been posted yet, the scientists were clearly intrigued by what they found as they have now committed to a new trial involving high and low doses of their topical solution, which they have named DA-4001H and DA-4001L respectively.
This time 14 people with MPB will be taking part and the goal is to test the drug's pharmacokinetics (movement through the body) and pharmacodynamics (the effects of the drug and the mechanism of its action). They are also testing for the drug's overall safety.
The completion date for this clinical trial is December 2016.
They are not the only people to have looked at a finasteride pill and wondered if it could somehow be ground up, incorporated into a solution and applied directly onto the scalp.
An Essex-based testing company has been doing exactly that on behalf of a Swiss client this year although it was a little more technical than it sounds as they were using ultraviolet light to induce photosensitisation.
For the record, attempting to make DIY hair loss treatments by crushing finasteride 1mg tablets into a paste and applying them to the scalp is certainly not advisable.
Anyone wanting to regrow their hair should always consult with a specialist for a professional diagnosis and treatment recommendations based on the outcome of their consultation. Going it alone with homemade remedies is likely to be at best costly and ineffective but, at worst, it could cause serious complications if you are not medically suitable for the components you are using.
Long-proven as a successful treatment for male pattern baldness, Finasteride is without exception always taken in pill form in doses of 1mg. The manufacturers do not support any other application and this is the format which is clinically proven to treat this hereditary condition.
But a test undertaken at the Catholic Medical Centre in Seoul, South Korea, between October 2014 and the summer of 2015 seems to have piqued scientists’ interests. In that test, doctors appear to have investigated whether finasteride could be applied directly to the scalp just like minoxidil, a well-known unisex genetic hair loss treatment that is applied topically and is also licensed by the MHRA and approved by the FDA for this purpose.
Clinical trial announcement
In the original clinical trail registration submitted at clinicaltrials.gov, the South Korean team wrote that the study was “designed to explore the efficacy and safety of DA-4001C after topical application in male patients with androgenetic alopecia (Male Pattern Baldness).”
Given that they then state that the investigational products are finasteride and minoxidil (with minoxidil being named as a comparator), it can be assumed that DA-4001C must be a topical formulation based on finasteride.
The original test involved 60 people with Male Pattern Baldness and, while no results have been posted yet, the scientists were clearly intrigued by what they found as they have now committed to a new trial involving high and low doses of their topical solution, which they have named DA-4001H and DA-4001L respectively.
This time 14 people with MPB will be taking part and the goal is to test the drug's pharmacokinetics (movement through the body) and pharmacodynamics (the effects of the drug and the mechanism of its action). They are also testing for the drug's overall safety.
The completion date for this clinical trial is December 2016.
Curiosity lingers
They are not the only people to have looked at a finasteride pill and wondered if it could somehow be ground up, incorporated into a solution and applied directly onto the scalp.
An Essex-based testing company has been doing exactly that on behalf of a Swiss client this year although it was a little more technical than it sounds as they were using ultraviolet light to induce photosensitisation.
For the record, attempting to make DIY hair loss treatments by crushing finasteride 1mg tablets into a paste and applying them to the scalp is certainly not advisable.
Anyone wanting to regrow their hair should always consult with a specialist for a professional diagnosis and treatment recommendations based on the outcome of their consultation. Going it alone with homemade remedies is likely to be at best costly and ineffective but, at worst, it could cause serious complications if you are not medically suitable for the components you are using.
The Belgravia Centre
The Belgravia Centre is a world-renowned group of a hair loss clinic in Central London, UK. If you are worried about hair loss you can arrange a free consultation with a hair loss expert or complete our Online Consultation from anywhere in the world for home-use treatment.
View our Hair Loss Success Stories, which includes the world's largest gallery of hair growth photos and demonstrates the level of success that so many of Belgravia's patients achieve.