Glaucoma Drug Sparks Eyelash Craze
Prescription Drug Lumigan® Moonlights as Eyelash Enhancer
Dec 10, 2008
Physicians and patients alike have reported that the prescription glaucoma drug Lumigan® has a surprising side effect: it regrows, lengthens, and thickens eyelashes. The drug is currently FDA approved for the treatment of eye conditions stemming from glaucoma, but plans are underway to market Lumigan® for eyelash enhancement under the brand name "Latisse™".
Lumigan® Proven to Regrow Eyelashes
Studies have shown that with daily applications directly to the base of eyelashes, Lumigan® stimulates eyelash growth and increases the length and thickness of eyelashes in as little as four months.
Physicians across the country have already started prescribing Lumigan® to select cosmetic patients for off-label use as an eyelash enhancing treatment. Allergan hopes to expand its patient base by pushing for FDA approval of Lumigan® for cosmetic use in 2009.
According to FDA panel experts reviewing the safety and efficacy of the medication, application of Lumigan® to the base of eyelashes is a safe and effective option for cosmetic enhancement and regrowth of eyelashes with few if any side effects for patients.
Allergan to Compete with High-Profile Cosmetics Companies
While Allergan continues to study the effects of Lumigan® in clinical trials, cosmetics companies are scrambling to create new treatments featuring the drug's active ingredient, bimatoprost. These companies face a tough uphill battle, however. Allergan has already filed patent infringement suits against several cosmetics companies manufacturing eyelash enhancing products. These products have also recently caught the eye of FDA regulators. Though cosmetics companies are allowed to use active ingredients found in prescription drugs in their cosmetics formulations, any claims that beauty treatments alter the physical structure of the body would classify those products as drugs and require clinical trials to prove their safety and efficacy. The FDA has pledged to keep a close watch on cosmetics manufacturers utilizing active ingredients found in Lumigan® and other similar glaucoma medications.
FDA Advisory Panel Greenlights Lumigan® for Cosmetic Use
Allergan recently announced that an FDA advisory panel voted unanimously in favor of approving Lumigen® for cosmetic use under the brand name Latisse™. The panel has also recommended further testing of the drug prior to FDA approval. Future clinical trials will gauge the effectiveness of Lumigen® on younger patients, African-American patients, and patients who have recently experienced eyelash loss as a result of undergoing chemotherapy.
Allergan hopes to begin marketing Latisse™ for eyelash enhancement in 2009. If approved, Latisse™ could bring in estimated sales of more than half a billion dollars a year.
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