Is Generic Avodart better than Generic Propecia?

Currently Avodart is still awaiting approval by the FDA for the treatment of male pattern baldness (MPB). At the time of writing, Propecia is the only oral medication approved by the FDA for MPB. It is fair to say (without putting a percentage to it) that Avodart is reported (by physicians who specialize in its usage) to work better on patients who are not getting good responses to Propecia.

Finasteride was originally distributed by pharmaceutical giant Merck. in a 5 mg dose under the brand name Proscar for treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH).  In 1997, Merck was granted FDA approval for the use of finasteride as a hair loss treatment in a much smaller 1 mg version dose. This Finasteride drug for use as a hair loss treatment was named Propecia.  This was a landmark event because it was the first true “baldness pill” the world had ever known. The discovery of positive effects in the area of hair loss was actually accidental; the benefits were reported by sufferers of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. These findings prompted Merck to conduct qualitative double-blind investigations into the effectiveness of the drug, the rest of which is history.

Following on from the development of Finasteride, the hair-loss market has continued to move, since the FDA approval of Propecia another DHT inhibiting drug with great potential for inhibiting hair loss has come on the scene.  This drug is called Dutasteride, marketed under the brand name of Avodart (also available as Generic Avodart or “Dutas”). Like Finasteride, Dutasteride / Avodart is a 5AR inhibitor, however unlike Finasteride, Dutasteride inhibits both Type I AR and Type II AR meaning it is far greater scope for blocking the alpha 5 enzyme – which is directly responsible for hair loss.  Dutasteride also has a much longer half-life than Propecia, this means that the drug is present within the body for far longer – another reason perhaps that initial trials have shown a greatly increased efficiency.

Also like Proscar, Avodart and Generic Avodart are available for prescription for treatment of BPH and have FDA approval for that application. 

Since Avodart is a dual 5AR inhibitor and is much stronger than Propecia, it is generally accepted that it is possible that it can be a more effective treatment for male pattern baldness.

We recommend Generic Avodart in extreme cases of male pattern baldness, or in rare cases where Propecia is not proven to be effective / produced the desired effects.