Popular Hair Loss Drug May Soon Be Hard to Find, Study Warns

A new report is warning that minoxidil, a drug used to combat hair thinning and hair loss, may be in shortage, and is already difficult to access in parts of the East Coast.

Researchers from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences systematically contacted pharmacies around the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area during the first week of October to inquire about the availability of the popular drug. They published their findings in a letter to the editor of the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology on Thursday.

The pharmacies they reached out to were CVS, Giant, Walgreens and Harris Teeter, and they contacted 277 pharmacies in total to ask about the stock of 2.5mg and 10mg minoxidil tablets, specifically asking about a 30-day supply of the drug.

Only 23% of the pharmacies in Northern Virginia said they had both dosages and enough of them for 30-day supply. About 18% of the pharmacies in Washington, D.C. responded similarly, along with less than 15% in Maryland. In total, only about 40% of the pharmacies had enough lower-dose tablets for a 30-day supply, and about 30% had enough of the higher-dose tablets for a 30 day supply.

Minoxidil was originally sold to treat hypertension in the 1970s, however, providers noticed that it also seemed to alleviate balding in some patients. This led to a low-dose version of the drug intended specifically for regrowing hair reached the market in 1986. The drug has been in topical solutions from brands like Rogaine for some time; but has increased in popularity in recent years thanks to telehealth companies, like hims, which offer the drug via mail order without ever having to see a doctor in person.

It’s unclear exactly how minoxidil stimulates hair growth, but there is some evidence that the way it treats hypertension — by dilating blood vessels — may also contribute to its effects in reversing hair loss. 

Adam Friedman, M.D., chair of dermatology at George Washington University and one of the authors of the new report, told NBC News that sudden cessation of medication could result in patients starting to lose the hair they had regained. 

Dr. Friedman told the outlet that his patients were having trouble accessing the medication, leading his team to look for trends in the drug’s availability. 

"A substantial number of our patients are not going to be able to access minoxidil because of these shortages," Dr. Friedman said. "It's a significant problem."

The researchers of this recent study actually point to a 2022 New York Times article about the drug as a reason the drug has surged in popularity. 

Prescriptions sharply rose after the article’s publication, and the authors of one study examining this increase concluded that “media coverage alone, even without new research or with limited evidence, may be associated with immediate changes in prescribing.”

While the study only looked at areas surrounding Washington, D.C., they say that the trends they observed could apply across the country. 

Despite the reported shortages, minoxidil is not currently included on the Food and Drug Administration’s list of drugs that are currently in shortage.