Latisse – chance discovery shown to enhance eyelashes

SCOTTSDALE – New from  Allergan (Irvine, Calif, USA) Latisse – has been shown to promote eyelash growth.

In December of 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unanimously voted (9-0) to recommend approval of Latisse (bimatoprost solution 0.03%) as a treatment for reduced hair of the eyelashes. This drug is also marketed as Lumigan and was originally developed to treat glaucoma, a serious eye condition that can lead to blindness when not treated. Bimatoprost initially received FDA approval in 2001 for lowering intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma and ocular hypertension. A noted side effect of Lumigan was the development of thicker, longer eyelashes. Janice lloyd of USA Today, previously reported that this is not the first time Allergan has promoted a new product from a chance discovery.  She reminds us that Botox was originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration to reduce eye spasms. Later it was realized that Botox also made people look younger by eliminating wrinkles.

The US Food and Drug Administration based the decision for approval on the results of clinical trials. In a phase 3 study, 278 adults with minimal or moderate eyelash prominence applied either Latisse or a placebo to both upper eyelid margins once a night for 16 weeks. “More than 78 percent of patients in the Latisse group — compared with slightly more than 18 percent in the placebo group — experienced at least a one-grade increase in overall eyelash prominence at the end of the treatment period,” said Steven Fagien, M.D., of Boca Raton, Fla., a study investigator (Source: Plastic Surgery Practice).

“Today’s Advisory Committee recommendation is an important step in the FDA review process to provide consumers with a safe and effective treatment to improve the length, thickness and darkness of natural eyelashes,” said Scott Whitcup M.D., Allergan’s Vice President of Research and Development (Source: Drugs.com).

However, according to Cosmetic Surgery Times, oculoplastic surgeons have reservations about Latisse. Side effects included initial redness and lid-margin irritation as a result of overuse. Latisse’s label also warns of possible changes in iris pigmentation. Citing such concerns over side effects, ophtholomologists suggest that more research needs to be done before feeling fully confident in non-eye specialists monitoring the drug’s use without seeking consult from an eye specialist.

“Although not found in the study, I still feel that patients with light irises run the risk of increased iris pigmentation and eye-color change — they should be cautioned in this regard as part of informed consent. In the study, patients only put the medication on the upper lashes, trying to limit ocular exposure. Use on the lower lashes is off label, but we are sure patients are going to do it — and the effects of this application are unknown,” said Stuart R. Seiff, M.D., emeritus professor of ophthalmology at the University of California, San Francisco (Source: Cosmetic Surgery Times).