5-alpha-reductase inhibitors

Drugs that lower dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the hormone that miniaturises follicles in pattern hair loss. Oral finasteride has been approved for it since 1997; dutasteride is approved for it in several Asian markets.

This class is not trying to prove it works — it did that decades ago. Current development is mostly about delivery: topical formulations that try to keep the effect in the scalp and the hormonal exposure out of the rest of the body. In France both oral drugs are prescription-only.

This page is generated from the register and updates with it. It does not rank treatments by efficacy or announce launch dates — see how we track. A research register, not medical advice: talk to a dermatologist about your own case.