Dutasteride is a new drug prescribed for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Dutasteride has also shown very positive effects as a hair loss treatment for sufferers of male pattern baldness.

What is Dutasteride used for?

Dutasteride is a recently approved drug developed by GlaxoSmithKline. Dutasteride is a dual 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor that is indicated for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men with an enlarged prostate to:

• Improve symptoms
• Reduce the risk of acute urinary retention
• Reduce the risk of the need for BPH-related surgery

Dutasteride is currently in trial phase for the treatment of alopecia (hairloss).

How does Dutasteride Work?

Prostate growth is caused by a hormone in the blood called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Dutasteride lowers DHT production in the body, leading to shrinkage of the enlarged prostate in most men. Just as your prostate became large over a long period of time, reducing the size of your prostate and improving your symptoms will take time. While some men have fewer problems and symptoms after 3 months of treatment with Dutasteride, a treatment period of at least 6 months is usually necessary to see if Dutasteride will work for you. Studies have shown that treatment with Dutasteride for 2 years reduces the risk of complete blockage of urine flow (acute urinary retention) and/or the need for surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Dutasteride is an FDA-Approved Drug

• Avodart™ FDA New Drug Application Number 21-319/S-001: 10-9-2002 Avodart ™ (Dutasteride 0.5mg) soft-gelatin capsules.
• FDA New Drug Application Number 21-319: Approved 11-20-2001 for treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH).
• Approvals in other markets are pending.

Dutasteride and Hairloss

Dutasteride is being developed for the treatment of Male Pattern Baldness (MPB). Dutasteride, which is taken in capsule form, has shown dramatic success in restoring hair to bald men in trials. It interferes with 5-alpha-reductase enzymes that break down the male hormone testosterone and turn it into dehydrotestosterone (DHT) - which causes hair to thin dramatically in later life. Dutasteride is has better DHT supression results than finasteride both Propecia and Proscar).