Bimatoprost for the treatment of eyelash, eyebrow and scalp alopecia
March 2017
in “Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs”
TLDR Bimatoprost is promising for treating some types of hair loss but needs more testing for androgenetic alopecia.
The document from 2017 reviews the use of bimatoprost, a synthetic prostamide F2α analog, for treating various forms of alopecia, including eyelash, eyebrow, and scalp alopecia. It highlights the drug's FDA approval for increasing eyelash growth and discusses its potential as a treatment for idiopathic and chemotherapy-induced eyelash hypotrichosis, alopecia areata of the eyelashes and eyebrows, and androgenetic alopecia. Clinical trials have shown bimatoprost to be effective in improving eyelash length, thickness, and darkness, with a study of 36 patients demonstrating 88.9% showing improvement compared to 27.8% in the vehicle group. However, its effectiveness in adolescents with chemotherapy-induced eyelash hypotrichosis or alopecia areata was not observed. A retrospective study of 41 patients with alopecia areata universalis showed significant eyelash growth in 43.24% of patients after one year. For eyebrow hypotrichosis, studies reported significant improvements, with one larger study of 357 subjects showing a higher proportion with improved eyebrow appearance after 7 months. The efficacy on scalp alopecia areata is mixed, and preliminary results suggest bimatoprost is less effective than minoxidil for androgenetic alopecia. Bimatoprost is generally safe and well-tolerated, with mild and localized adverse events. The document concludes that while bimatoprost is promising for certain alopecia types, phase III trials are needed to confirm its efficacy and safety for androgenetic alopecia treatment.
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