A Novel Finasteride 0.25% Topical Solution for Androgenetic Alopecia: Pharmacokinetics and Effects on Plasma Androgen Levels in Healthy Male Volunteers

The study evaluated a newly developed finasteride 0.25% topical solution for androgenetic alopecia in comparison to the marketed finasteride 1 mg tablet. The study found that after one week of treatment, both the topical and tablet finasteride formulations had a strong and similar inhibition of plasma DHT, which is responsible for male pattern baldness. The study suggests that topical finasteride formulations may potentially reduce some of the systemic side effects related to the mechanism of action of finasteride. The study concluded that further studies at different dose regimens will be conducted to evaluate whether substantial and selective decreases in scalp DHT, as opposed to plasma DHT, could be obtained at lower doses of this locally acting formulation.