GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is solidifying its position in the local hair loss market with Avodart (ingredient: dutasteride), as the drug continues to show strong sales since receiving regulatory approval in 2009, the company said Tuesday.

Professor Choi Jee-woong of Ajou University Hospital explains the efficacy of Avodart, during a news conference at Plaza Seoul on Tuesday.

Avodart is a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia and hair loss among men. The drug blocks the production of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) that causes male pattern baldness.

The advantages of Avodart include a more extensive range of patients compared to other hair loss drugs. While previous treatments only covered patients up to 41 years of age, Avodart gained an expanded indication to treat those up to 50 years of age in 2014, offering a new treatment option to men in their 40s.

The drug has also shown strong efficacy among Koreans.

GSK conducted a clinical trial on 153 Korean hair loss patients aged 18 to 49 to confirm its efficacy, safety, and tolerability for six months.

After the six-month treatment period, Avodart group showed a 12.2cm2 increase in hair count compared to the 4.7cm2 of the placebo group.

Such benefits have resulted in the continued sales growth of the drug, despite the launch of various generic drugs from local pharmaceutical companies. Sales for Avodart reached 16.8 billion won ($13.8 million) in the first half of 2019, a 19 percent increase from a year ago.

“Avodart confirmed statistically significant effects and tolerability against M-hair loss, hair number, and thickness improvement, in multinational clinical trials as well as among Koreans compared to the control group,” said Professor Choi Jee-woong from the Department of Dermatology at Ajou University Hospital, in a news conference Tuesday.

It is also noteworthy that the drug showed consistent results during the 10 years use in the clinical field, he added.

Professor Choi stressed that now that hair loss is considered a disease, patients should receive a diagnosis and appropriate treatment promptly.

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