My Connection to Merck, Again

Dr. Rassman. It’s obvious through the few blogs that I’ve read that you have no faith in any hair restoration product other than Propecia. You have mentioned Avodart, but it’s quite clear that you are a proponent of finasteride.

There are decades of successful clinical trials with natural herbs (simply look in the PDR for Herbal Medicines or online at PDRHealth.com to find them). For example, saw palmetto has been tested against finasteride many times with virtually equal results (both with BPH and hair restoration). Foti root, grape seed extract, green tea, amino acids and other nutrients also have significant clinical data behind them to show that they are and can be effective at halting or slowing the effects of androgenetic alopecia.

Since you discard the thousands of other proven products that exist and have helped millions of men over the decades, I have to ask… are you in some way connected to Merck or Propecia? Are you a stock holder? Are you on a board of directors? Are you compensated by Merck for speaking engagements, travel, endorsements, etc?

Do you have any affiliation whatsoever with Merck that could possibly sway your opinion?

If so, I think it’s important that you share this information with your readers and patients. And as you know, it wouldn’t be difficult to find out on our own.

Respectfully

I’ve answered this question before, but I am glad that you are inquiring if I am being paid by Merck to speak highly of Propecia. For the record, I do not work for Merck, am not on its payroll and have never been paid one dime for any of my opinions or activities in recommending a good drug. I do not own the drug company’s stock and have never purchased it. I also prescribe aspirin, and many other prescription drugs and am not on any other drug company’s payroll either. As a hair transplant surgeon, I make a living by doing hair transplants. Thus, some might say that it is not in my best interest to endorse a particular medication to help grow hair or stop hair loss, but I will of course do it if that is best for my patients. As a physician with sincere interest in my patients’ well beings, I will endorse any medicine with clear, concrete medical data that help’s my patients improve thier hair loss situation. As of now, Propecia and Minoxidil have been shown through many studies to improve hair growth or stop hair loss. Through my experience, I have noticed Propecia to have a better effect than Minoxidil when genetic hair loss is in full swing (for men only). I am not convinced of the many herbal remedies because there is no scientific data to support the many claims that are made by so many of the herbal companies.

When I recommend Propecia to stop or reverse hair loss, one might say that I am undoing my business because a successful treatment with hair loss reversal will not produce a hair transplant for my practice. That must mean something to the reader, because I do this for the benefit of my patients. That is what my Oath is about, to take the interest of my patient above my own at all times. Nothing makes me happier than to have a successful drug course of treatment. I bond with these men and they send me their balding fathers, brothers, uncles, best briends, etc. Losing one patient to Propecia brings many friends and family, so I get back far more than just appreciation, although as a doctor, appreciation is all I hope for. I just met a patient who I sent home with Propecia, because he was too early to get a hair transplant and would not get a benefit from a transplant without first trying Propecia. If it has a chance to get him his results without surgery, that is better than rushing into a transplant. He had just seen another doctor who told him that he needed 2,000 grafts. What do you think? I get a growing, thriving surgical hair transplant practice just because I care and want to be the best doctor I know how to be.