Original articleA randomized, single-blind trial of 5% minoxidil foam once daily versus 2% minoxidil solution twice daily in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in women
Section snippets
Study design
This was a 24-week, randomized, investigator-initiated and -blinded, 2-arm comparative study conducted at a single site to evaluate the efficacy and safety of once-daily 5% MTF versus twice-daily 2% MTS in women with AGA. The study design did not include a placebo arm on ethical grounds as there are a number of therapeutic options available to women with AGA and previous studies of minoxidil in women with AGA provide suitable and extensive comparative data on hair growth in participants
Participants
A total of 114 women with AGA in the centroparietal region were enrolled in the study (Fig 1). One enrolled participant was not randomized to treatment because of an existing pregnancy. The participants ranged from 23 to 75 years in age (mean: 49.9 years) (Table I; available online at http://www.eblue.org). The majority of participants were white (95.6%). The mean Savin hair density score at baseline was 4.13 in the 5% MTF arm and 3.84 in the 2% MTS arm. There was a higher proportion of
Discussion
AGA may have significant impact for quality of life in female patients. Treatments to clinically improve scalp hair density and reduce midpattern thinning leading to improved scalp coverage are highly important for the affected women. This 24-week, randomized, investigator-initiated, blinded study compared a once-daily 5% MTF formulation with the twice-daily 2% MTS formulation currently available for treating women with AGA. Different aspects were analyzed: GPR by participants and investigators
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The first two authors contributed equally to the study and preparation of this manuscript.
Supported by a medical grant application, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Co Inc.
Disclosure: Dr Blume-Peytavi is a consultant for Johnson & Johnson Consumer Co Inc. Dr Garcia Bartels was a consultant for Pfizer GmbH Germany until 2008. Dr Hillmann, Dr Dietz, and Mr Canfield have no conflicts of interest to declare.