Proscar

This page contains recent news articles, when available, and an overview of Proscar but does not offer medical advice. You should contact your physician with regard to any health issues or concerns.

Overview:

Proscar (when available)

Pharmacology and use:
Finasteride is indicated for the treatment of male pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) in men only. Finasteride is a competitive and specific inhibitor of Type II 5a-reductase, an intracellular enzyme that converts the androgen testosterone into DHT. Two distinct isozymes are found in mice, rats, monkeys, and humans: Type I and II. Each of these isozymes is differentially expressed in tissues and developmental stages. In humans, Type I 5a-reductase is predominant in the sebaceous glands of most regions of skin, including scalp, and liver. Type I 5a-reductase is responsible for approximately one-third of circulating DHT. The Type II 5a-reductase isozyme is primarily found in prostate, seminal vesicles, epididymides, and hair follicles as well as liver, and is responsible for two-thirds of circulating DHT. For the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men with an enlarged prostate to: Improve symptoms, reduce the risk of acute urinary retention, reduce the risk of the need for surgery including transurethral resection of the prostat

Mechanism Of Action:
The mechanism of action of Finasteride is based on its preferential inhibition of Type II 5a-reductase, an intracellular enzyme that converts the androgen testosterone into DHT. Inhibition of Type II 5a-reductase blocks the peripheral conversion of testosterone to DHT, resulting in significant decreases in serum and tissue DHT concentrations.

News Articles on Finasteride

Men need to heed signs of prostate problems  -  Sep 3, 2008
These medications, including Avodart and Proscar, can take up to one year until symptoms begin to change but they are overall more effective at preventing Joliet Herald News,

Health checkup: Drug mix-ups  -  Sep 10, 2008
Other examples include Propecia and Proscar (both finasteride) and Sarafem and Prozac (both fluoxetine). More examples of duplicate therapy may include Rochester Democrat and Chronicle,

PSA Tests Not Recommended After 75  -  Aug 19, 2008
Take finasteride (Proscar). This drug is usually taken by men with an enlarged prostate that is not caused by cancer. The drug can improve urination. Gather.com,

Ciclismo.- El Benfica deberá indemnizar a José Antonio Pecharromán ...  -  Sep 12, 2008
...de 2007 por tomar un medicamento, el 'Proscar', común para tratar casos de alopecia y que contiene finasteride, un enmascarador de los anabolizantes. Europa Press,

�?�縣�?柳營奇美醫師：�?護腺肥大應儘早醫治  -  Aug 18, 2008
...縮�?�?列腺體�?的藥物。5α�?還原酶抑制劑Finasteride等(proscar NOWnews,

Xìu Tại Thuốc  -  Aug 29, 2008
Nhóm Alpha reductase Inhibitors : Finasteride (Proscar) trị triển dưỡng tuyến ti�?n liệt. Có thể giảm libido, gây rối loạn cương dương, vú nở to. Take2Tango

�?列腺肥大用什么�?�物治疗  -  Aug 25, 2008
...日为一疗程)；a 还原酶抑制剂(Proscar 21cn,

Treating an enlarged prostate  -  Aug 4, 2008
The FDA has approved two types of drugs for BPH: alpha-reductase inhibitors, including finasteride (Proscar) and dutasteride (Avodart), and alpha blockers, Abilene Reporter-News,

Merck Reports Second-Quarter 2008 Financial Results  -  Jul 21, 2008
INVANZ, ISENTRESS, JANUVIA, JANUMET, MAXALT, PRIMAXIN, PROPECIA, PROSCAR, STOCRIN, TIMOPTIC/TIMOPTIC XE, TRUSOPT, VASOTEC/VASERETIC, ZOCOR and ZOLINZA. MarketWatch

Tengion Appoints Mark Stejbach Vice President of Marketing ...  -  Jul 23, 2008
Mr. Stejbach started his pharma career at Merck in 1987 and went on to lead marketing campaigns for VASOTEC and PROSCAR. From 1994 to 1997, Mr. Stejbach Genetic Engineering News (press release),

New analysis boosts drug's prostate cancer value  -  May 20, 2008
N: Quote, Profile, Research) as Proscar to treat enlargement of the prostate and now available generically. The drug affects male hormone levels. Reuters

Dr Reddy’s signs off a forgettable year  -  May 21, 2008
After Merck’s blockbuster drugs, Zocor and Proscar, Imitrex is the third in a row to fall in DRL expanding authorized generic portfolio. Sify,

For Men, Relief in Sight  -  May 12, 2008
Other drugs like Proscar and Avodart, called 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, shrink the prostate over 9 to 18 months. Once the drugs are stopped, however, New York Times,

Advances in treatments for enlarged prostates  -  May 9, 2008
The other drug, finasteride (Proscar), blocks the synthesis of a hormone thought to spur prostate growth and can reduce prostate size. Los Angeles Times,

Drug may be useful for preventing prostate cancer afterall  -  May 22, 2008
...involved 18822 men who received either a placebo or an agent known as finasteride (Proscar®), currently approved to control prostate growth, Cancerfacts.com,

Prolieve is a new therapy for enlarged prostate  -  May 7, 2008
As for your next step, medication to shrink the size of your prostate, such as Proscar, is appropriate. Also, tell your urologist about the return of your Northern Daily News,

Dr. Gott: Prostate trouble back after Prolieve  -  Apr 16, 2008
As for your next step, medication to shrink the size of your prostate, such as Proscar, is appropriate. Also, tell your urologist about the return of your Northwest Herald,

Isabel Maxwell  -  Apr 8, 2008
Proscar decreased prostate volume was, seen within the physiologic range. Proscar Avodart PDF. The reason for this premise. Condylox gel medically PROVEN Israel Insider,

Will new therapy work on prostate?  -  Apr 17, 2008
As for your next step, medication to shrink the size of your prostate, such as Proscar, is appropriate. Also, tell your urologist about the return of your GoErie.com,

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Provides an Update on Ozarelix in BPH  -  Apr 22, 2008
...but have no direct effect on the prostate growth itself, and alpha reductase inhibitors (such as PROSCAR(R) and AVODART(R)), which can result in some Centre Daily Times,

Alopecia Areata – Get Full Information  -  Mar 26, 2008
Two relatively new drugsminoxidil (Rogaine) and finasteride (Proscar)promote hair growth in a significant minority of patents. Los Angeles Chronicle,

Merck Reports First-Quarter 2008 Financial Results  -  Apr 21, 2008
INVANZ, ISENTRESS, JANUVIA, JANUMET, MAXALT, PRIMAXIN, PROPECIA, PROSCAR, STOCRIN, TIMOPTIC/TIMOPTIC XE, TRUSOPT, VASOTEC/VASERETIC, ZOCOR and ZOLINZA. Business Wire (press release),

What are the best treatments for male pattern baldness?  -  Mar 2, 2008
A more effective drug is Propecia, a pill that is a low-dose (1 milligram) version of another drug, Proscar, which is used to treat benign prostate Boston Globe,

Better to go bald than get busted  -  Feb 13, 2008
They warned athletes to avoid using finasteride, a prohibited substance sold under the brand names Propecia and Proscar. Finasteride is used as a treatment Globe and Mail,

Infection of skull bone is uncommon ASK DR. H MITCHELL HECHT  -  Feb 11, 2008
That may explain how Proscar, a drug indicated to treat an enlarged prostate through its ability to reduce the production of potent DHT testosterone that Wilkes Barre Times-Leader,

Am I Going Bald? It's a Bit Early to Say  -  Feb 27, 2008
...(For hair loss, it's sold as Propecia, and for prostate problems, Proscar.) A look back at some old photographs confirmed that my hairline hasn't changed U.S. News & World Report,

Ex-plastic surgeon killed wife, self, police say  -  Feb 15, 2008
...drugs such as Nolvadex, Proscar, Clomid, Tamoxifen, Vicodin, Androgel, Ritalin and Viagra - "without accepted medical indication and/ or justification. Newsday,

The Green Pharmacy  -  Feb 21, 2008
Hytrin ® versus Proscar ® for benign prostatic hypertrophy (enlarged prostate), dihydroergotamine versus sumatriptan for acute migraine and .so on. Mother Earth News,

Fueling Testosterone and Preventing Hair Loss with Tocotrienols  -  Feb 15, 2008
The two most popular treatments for hair loss are finasteride (Proscar/Propecia) or the topical drug minoxidil (Rogain). Patient compliance with minoxidil PR Web (press release),

Growing prostate may not be cancer, still cause for concern  -  Jan 29, 2008
Another class of drugs, DHT blockers such as finasteride (Proscar) and dutasteride (Avodart), may also be helpful because they prevent testosterone from Inside Bay Area,

Event Brief of 4Q 2007 Merck & Co., Inc. Earnings Conference Call ...  -  Feb 6, 2008
...newly launched pharmaceutical products and vaccines helped to drive strong organic growth, overcoming the impact of ZOCOR and PROSCAR patent expires. 2. Insurance News Net (press release),

Vioxx Charge Leads to Huge Q4 Merck Loss  -  Jan 30, 2008
Chief Financial Officer Peter Kellogg noted patent expirations in 2006 — for former blockbuster Zocor and enlarged prostate gland treatment Proscar — cut The Associated Press

Dr. Reddy's Q3 FY08 Revenue at Rs 12320 Million; EBITDA at Rs 2037 ...  -  Jan 25, 2008
Revenues from finasteride, generic version of Proscar(R) at Rs. 428 million. -- During the quarter, the company launched 2 new products; omeprazole and WELT ONLINE,

Serum Sex Hormones Divorced from Prostate Cancer Risk  -  Jan 30, 2008
The landmark Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial found an association between finasteride (Proscar), a 5alpha-reductase inhibitor that suppresses MedPage Today,

Merck & Co., Inc. Q4 2007 Earnings Call Transcript  -  Jan 30, 2008
...our newly launched pharmaceutical products and vaccines help drive strong organic growth overcoming the impact of the Zocor and Proscar patent expiries. Seeking Alpha,

GSK deal to net Ranbaxy $90 mn in ’09  -  Jan 21, 2008
...had earned revenues of $60 million and Dr Reddy’s, as Merck’s partner for Zocor and prostrate cancer drug Proscar, had grossed $400 million in sales. Livemint,

Veggie lovers could fare better in cancer fight  -  Jan 17, 2008
The only scientifically proven way to reduce the odds of prostate cancer is the conventional drug finasteride (Proscar). It's currently approved by the FDA The Jewish Journal of greater L.A,

Ranbaxy, Dr Reddy’s, Cipla may see net profits shrink 5-23%  -  Jan 15, 2008
Revenues at Dr Reddy’s were also buoyed for most of last year by sales of copies of Merck drugs Zocor and Proscar in the US. The only US market exclusivity Livemint,

Merck Announces 2007 Financial Results Reflecting Revenue Growth ...  -  Jan 30, 2008
INVANZ, ISENTRESS, JANUVIA, JANUMET, MAXALT, PRIMAXIN, PROPECIA, PROSCAR, STOCRIN, TIMOPTIC/TIMOPTIC XE, TRUSOPT, VASOTEC/VASERETIC, ZOCOR and ZOLINZA. Centre Daily Times,

Medications can interfere with pressure  -  Dec 11, 2007
Finasteride (Proscar) and dutasteride (Avodart) don't affect blood pressure. Howard LeWine, MD, is a member of the Harvard Medical School faculty and Times Daily (subscription),

LUNCH WITH BS: GV Prasad  -  Dec 10, 2007
...was powered by the one-time opportunity of the authorised generic versions of Merck’s cholesterol drugs Zocar and Proscar, which fetched Rs 1581 crore. Business Standard,

Merck Anticipates Earnings per Share Growth in 2008; Reaffirms ...  -  Dec 4, 2007
EMEND, INVANZ, ISENTRESS, JANUVIA, JANUMET, MAXALT, PRIMAXIN, PROPECIA, PROSCAR, STOCRIN, TIMOPTIC/TIMOPTIC XE, TRUSOPT, VASOTEC/VASERETIC and ZOLINZA. Business Wire (press release),

Topin Announces New Associate Creative Director  -  Nov 27, 2007
...supporting the launch of Vioxx at Merck, where she also managed marketing communications for Fosamax, Proscar, Pepcid, and a number of other products. PharmaLive.com (press release),

Modern prostate surgery carefully preserves nerves  -  Nov 13, 2007
Proscar and Avodart are medicines that actually shrink the gland, but it can take as long as six months before results are seen. Medicines rarely lead to SouthCoastToday.com,

Dr. Reddy’s Q2 FY08 revenue at Rs 12670 million  -  Oct 24, 2007
Revenues from finasteride, generic version of Proscar® at Rs. 631 million. This includes the revenues from commencement of supplies to the US government Business Wire (press release),

Momenta Pharmaceuticals Announces Appointment of Elizabeth Stoner ...  -  Oct 30, 2007
Earlier in her career at Merck, Dr. Stoner had led the Proscar clinical development program from inception, establishing Merck as a leader in the field of CNNMoney.com

Reddy for a Rollercoaster Ride  -  Oct 25, 2007
37% from the year-ago quarter, but the 2006 quarter saw large contributions from authorized generic versions of Merck's (NYSE: MRK) Zocor and Proscar. Motley Fool

India's Sensex Rises; Tata Steel Gains as Dr. Reddy's Declines  -  Oct 25, 2007
...s Zocor cholesterol treatment and prostate drug Proscar in the US The Bombay Stock Exchange's Sensex added 98.25, or 0.5 percent, to 18611.16 as of 11:08 am Bloomberg

Dr. Reddy's Sales, Profit Decline on US Slowdown (Update2)  -  Oct 24, 2007
...s Zocor and Proscar treatments. Rival Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. last week reported higher profit and sales as acquisitions in Europe and South Africa helped Bloomberg

Enlarged prostate common in older men  -  Oct 22, 2007
Carter: Many people with this huge gland need something to shrink the size, and that's where medicines like Avodart and Proscar come in handy. CNN

Overseas slump may drag Dr Reddy’s profit down  -  Oct 21, 2007
In June 2006, Dr Reddy's had launched simvastatin and finasteride, its versions of Merck's Zocor and Proscar, respectively, as authorised generics in the US Economic Times,

Bayer emerges as victor in Avelox lawsuit with Dr Reddy’s  -  Oct 29, 2007
...it enjoyed for its copycat versions of Merck & Co’s cholesterol drug Zocor (simvastatin) and its enlarged prostate treatment Proscar (finasteride). Pharma Times (subscription),

Lower generics income dents Dr Reddy’s profit  -  Oct 24, 2007
Authorized generics had accounted for 39% of the company’s revenues in the second quarter of last year, where it sold generic versions of Proscar and Zocor Livemint,

United Kingdom: Bad Hair Day For Swiss Style  -  Oct 21, 2007
At the priority date of the disputed patent, October 1993, Merck was already marketing a product called PROSCAR, a 5 mg/day tablet of finasteride for the Mondaq News Alerts (subcription),

Merck Q3 2007 Earnings Call Transcript  -  Oct 22, 2007
Just to take that a little further, if we were to exclude ZOCOR, PROSCAR, and the revenue associated with the supply of authorized generics from the first Seeking Alpha,

Merck Reports Double-Digit Revenue and Earnings-Per-Share Growth ...  -  Oct 22, 2007
EMEND, INVANZ, ISENTRESS, JANUVIA, JANUMET, MAXALT, PRIMAXIN, PROPECIA, PROSCAR, STOCRIN, TIMOPTIC/TIMOPTIC XE, TRUSOPT, VASOTEC/VASERETIC and ZOLINZA. Genetic Engineering News (press release),

Donor restrictions make it difficult to give blood  -  Sep 25, 2007
Common prescription drugs like, Proscar, Avodart, Propecia and Accutane keep people from donating their blood. The list continues, but prescriptions usually WSTM-TV,

Rupee rise to eat into pharma profit pie  -  Oct 9, 2007
Following a patent litigation case, US drug major Merck had authorised DRL to sell a generic version of its two blockbuster drugs Proscar and Zocor in the Economic Times,

Buy Drugs Without Prescription. Safe and Secure Ordering.  -  Oct 3, 2007
...online ordering propecia, buy propecia and proscar, buy propecia on line, gout propecia, effect of propecia, propecia missed dose, propecia pictures, LIVE-Wintersport.com,

Doctors write 300000 prescriptions for drug  -  Sep 28, 2007
Other treatment protocols call for the addition of drugs like finasteride (Proscar), which is usually used to treat benign forms of prostate enlargement, Globe and Mail,

Coping with urinary incontinence  -  Sep 26, 2007
Medications like dutasteride (Avodart) and finasteride (Proscar) may help to reduce prostate size without surgery, but they generally take several months to News-Medical.net,

Diet, Drugs May Stop Prostate Cancer  -  Sep 24, 2007
...prostate cancer in high-risk men had been treatment with the prostate enlargement drug finasteride (known commercially as Proscar) or similar drugs. WebMD

Finasteride Use Appears Unlikely to Induce High-Grade Prostate Tumors  -  Sep 17, 2007
September 17, 2007 — The chemopreventive agent finasteride (Proscar, Merck & Co) does not appear to increase the rate of histologically high-grade prostate Medscape (subscription)

Propecia Steroids Profile  -  Sep 5, 2007
Proscar or more known brand Propecia is a hair growth medication for the management of significant hair loss. Propecia is a medical breakthrough-the first PR-GB.com (press release),

Ozarelix Phase 2 Data Presented at 29th Congress of the Societe ...  -  Sep 5, 2007
...but have no direct effect on the prostate growth itself, and alpha reductase inhibitors (such as PROSCAR(R)[4] and AVODART(R)[5]), which can result in CNNMoney.com

Hair-Loss Drug Hinders Prostate Cancer Detection?  -  Aug 15, 2007
D'Amico believes that people who take Propecia and other finasteride-containing drugs, such as Proscar should receive more sensitive tests to detect DentalPlans.com,

Zetia for cholesterol can still cause muscle pain  -  Jul 31, 2007
Newsday,I read that Proscar and Avodart both cause impotence. My boyfriend is on Proscar and recently said he would rather have a backrub than sex.

Boyfriend's Impotence An Issue For Elderly Partner, But Not For Him  -  Jul 19, 2007
Hartford Courant,BY JOE GRAEDON and TERESA GRAEDON | PEOPLE'S PHARMACY July 20, 2007 Q. I read that Proscar and Avodart both cause impotence. My boyfriend is on Proscar and

Dr. Reddy's Profit Misses Estimates, US Sales Fall (Update1)  -  Jul 23, 2007
Bloomberg...s Zocor cholesterol treatment and prostate drug Proscar. ``The results are below expectations,'' said Rajesh Vora, a analyst with ICICI Securities in Mumbai

A Generic Roller Coaster  -  Jul 24, 2007
Motley FoolLast year's stellar quarter was because of the launch of generic versions of Merck's (NYSE: MRK) Zocor and Proscar. Excluding the upside from authorized

Earnings Preview: Merck & Co.  -  Jul 20, 2007
Forbes,New generics have hurt sales of Merck's cholesterol drug Zocor, which had been the company's top seller, and its enlarged prostate treatment Proscar.

Merck Reports Double-Digit Earnings-Per-Share Growth for Second ...  -  Jul 23, 2007
Genetic Engineering News (press release),CRIXIVAN, EMEND, INVANZ, JANUVIA, JANUMET, MAXALT, PRIMAXIN, PROPECIA, PROSCAR, STOCRIN, TIMOPTIC/TIMOPTIC XE, TRUSOPT, VASOTEC/VASERETIC and ZOLINZA.

Brand Names/Synonyms:
Proscar is also known by the following brand names and/or synonymsCCRIS 7438; Chibro-Proscar; Finasterida [Inn-Spanish]; Finasteride; Finasteride [Usan:Ban:Inn]; Finasteride and Its Intermediates; Finasteridum [Inn-Latin]; Finastid; Finpecia; HSDB 6793; MK-0906; MK-906; Propecia; Proscar; Prostide

Drug Category:
Proscar is categorized under the following by the FDA: Anti-baldness Agents; Antihyperplasia Agents; Skin and Mucous Membrane Agents (84:92.00); ATC:D11AX10; ATC:G04CB01

Dosage Forms:
TABLET

Absorption:
Not Available

Interactions:
-->Interactions for Finasteride:

No drug interactions of clinical importance have been identified. Finasteride does not appear to affect the cytochrome P450-linked drug-metabolizing enzyme system. Compounds that have been tested in man include antipyrine, digoxin, propranolol, theophylline, and warfarin and no clinically meaningful interactions were found.

Other concomitant therapy

Although specific interaction studies were not performed, finasteride doses of 1 mg or more were concomitantly used in clinical studies with acetaminophen, acetylsalicylic acid, a-blockers, analgesics, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, anticonvulsants, benzodiazepines, beta blockers, calcium-channel blockers, cardiac nitrates, diuretics, H₂ antagonists, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors (also referred to as NSAIDs), and quinolone anti-infectives without evidence of clinically significant adverse interactions.

Drug/Laboratory Test Interactions

Finasteride had no effect on circulating levels of cortisol, thyroid-stimulating hormone, or thyroxine, nor did it affect the plasma lipid profile (e.g., total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins, high-density lipoproteins and triglycerides) or bone mineral density. In studies with finasteride, no clinically meaningful changes in luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) or prolactin were detected. In healthy volunteers, treatment with finasteride did not alter the response of LH and FSH to gonadotropin-releasing hormone indicating that the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis was not affected.

In clinical studies with PROPECIA (finasteride, 1 mg) in men 18-41 years of age, the mean value of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) decreased from 0.7 ng/mL at baseline to 0.5 ng/mL at Month 12. Further, in clinical studies with PROSCAR (finasteride, 5 mg) when used in older men who have benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), PSA levels are decreased by approximately 50%. These findings should be taken into account for proper interpretation of serum PSA when evaluating men treated with finasteride.

Chemical IUPAC Name:
Not Available

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