Risk of Muscular Adverse Effects with Finasteride

Health Canada has found a potential risk of serious muscle-related adverse effects associated with the use of finasteride, a drug used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia and male hair loss/androgenic alopecia. The agency initiated a safety review after receiving reports of such adverse effects in patients treated with Propecia and Proscar. At the time of the review, Health Canada had received 11 local reports of serious muscle-related adverse effects suspected to be related to finasteride use. The current product information for finasteride does not include information about this potential risk, so Health Canada has recommended that product manufacturers update the information for finasteride-containing products to include this potential risk.