Dutasteride in Androgenetic Alopecia: An Update

The 2017 review titled "Dutasteride in Androgenetic Alopecia: An Update" discussed the role of dutasteride, a synthetic 4-azasteroid, in treating androgenetic alopecia, a common condition causing hair thinning. Dutasteride inhibits both type-1 and type-2 isoenzymes of 5-α-reductase, the enzyme responsible for converting testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, a more potent androgen causing hair loss. The review highlighted that dutasteride had shown effectiveness in several randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. The authors compared dutasteride's efficacy with finasteride, another approved drug for androgenetic alopecia. The conclusion was that dutasteride was becoming a popular treatment option due to its good response in various studies and meta-analysis. It was found to be better than finasteride with comparable side effects, suggesting that dutasteride could become a preferred treatment for androgenetic alopecia in the future.