Allergan begins trials on hair-growth drug

Irvine, Calif. - Drugmaker Allergan is recruiting volunteers for clinical trials of a hair-growth treatment based on the active ingredient in Latisse (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution, 0.03 percent), the company’s eyelash-growth treatment.

The Orange County Register reports that the recruitment phase should be completed in February. According to information posted by Allergan on the National Institutes of Health’s ClinicalTrials.gov website, the trial’s initial phase will observe a group of 28 patients, comprising men with moderate male-pattern baldness and women with moderate female-pattern hair loss.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Latisse in 2008 for use in spurring eyelash growth. The Register reports that some doctors use Latisse off-label as a treatment for hair loss.