The FDA’s Perspective on Finasteride Risks

Dr Rassman
The New England Journal of Medicine published an article that is freely accessible online to the public and addresses the FDA’s perspectives on risks and benefits of 5α-reductase inhibitors for prostate-cancer prevention and the recent additions (warnings) to the product labels.

Link: The Risks and Benefits of 5α-Reductase Inhibitors for Prostate-Cancer Prevention

Of course, I am concerned about the balance between providing helpful info to your readers and creating more confusion, especially since the article is highly technical and there is a small element of readers who believe that the FDA is in “cahoots” with drug companies (which is illogical, since the warning could theoretically decrease sales).

To me, the risk is very, very small, is likely not applicable to young men given that these studies were conducted in older men at risk, and involved finasteride doses 5-fold that currently used for androgenic alopecia, all points that have been made in the Comments section of your prior post. Perhaps one benefit of such articles, though, is making your readers appreciate that much scientific information – even the question earlier this week about finasteride and bone-marrow donation – is so easily accessible.

The issues of risk are more a matter of legal risks rather than actual risks, as you stated above. Remember, however, that there are lawyers standing by when any of these risks materialize real or not.

Thanks for bringing this article to my attention. I’m sure some of the more technically inclined readers will have plenty to say in the comments of this post.