Overall sales of finasteride have remained strong as cheaper generic versions have hit the market.īut, as early as 2009, Merck knew of more than 200 reports of depression, including suicidal thoughts, in men taking Propecia, according to an internal 'risk management' assessment from that year. The FDA approved Propecia in 1997, and sales climbed steadily through the 2000s, peaking at $447 million in 2010. Newly unsealed court documents and other records reveal Merck & Co knew its hair loss drug Propecia (pictured) was linked to depression and reports of suicide, but declined to add a warning to the label Yet, the drug is still incredibly popular with more than 3.4 million prescriptions filled in 2020, more than double the number in 2015, according to health data company IQVIA.
label contains no mention of suicide or suicidal thoughts. Before that, in the first 14 years the drug was on the market, the agency received 34 such reports, including 10 deaths.Įuropean and Canadian regulators, citing similar reports among men taking finasteride, require a warning of suicidal thoughts on the label, though they note that research has not proved that the drug causes such thoughts. Since the 2011 decision on the warning, the FDA has received more than 700 reports of suicide and suicidal thoughts among people taking Propecia or generic versions of the drug.
Last month, internal records were made public when a federal magistrate in New York, granted a 2019 Reuters motion to unseal 11 documents filed in years of litigation alleging Propecia caused persistent sexual dysfunction and other harmful side effects.
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Officials allegedly knew as early as 2009 and decided not to warn consumers of those potential risks in a 2011 update of the popular drug's label. Merck & Co knew about reports of suicidal behavior in men taking the company's anti-baldness treatment Propecia, newly unsealed court documents and other records reveal. Merck defended its stance and said there is no 'scientific evidence' showing a 'causal link between Propecia and suicide or suicidal ideation'īy Reuters and Mary Kekatos Senior Health Reporter For.Since that decision, the FDA has received more than 700 reports of suicide and suicidal thoughts among people taking Propecia or generic versions of the drug.In 2011, during an update of the popular drug's label, Merck and the FDA declined to add 'depression' to the drug's label as a potential risk.As early as 2009, Merck knew of more than 200 reports of depression, including suicidal thoughts, in men taking the medication.Merck & Co's drug Propecia was approved by the FDA in 1997 as the first ever drug to treat male pattern baldness.Merck KNEW its anti-baldness drug Propecia was linked to depression and reports of suicide but decided not to update the medication's warning label, documents show