finasteride

Also known as MK 906, MK-906, MK906, (5alpha,17beta)-(1,1-Dimethylethyl)-3-oxo-4-azaandrost-1-ene-17-carboxamide

Finasteride, sold under the brand names Proscar and Propecia among others, is a medication used to treat pattern hair loss and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It can also be used to treat excessive hair growth in women. It is usually taken orally but there are topical formulations for patients with hair loss, designed to minimize systemic exposure by acting specifically on hair follicles.

Key facts

Drug.Watchedfields: changed
Drug.verifiedrevid: 458461973
Drug.image: Finasteride.svg
Drug.image_class: skin-invert-image
Drug.width: 200
Drug.image2: Finasteride-from-xtal-3D-bs-17.png
Drug.image_class2: bg-transparent
Drug.width2: 250
Drug.tradename: Proscar, Propecia, Finide, others
Drug.MedlinePlus: a698016
Drug.DailyMedID: Finasteride
Drug.pregnancy_AU: X
Drug.routes_of_administration: By mouth, topical
Drug.class: 5α-Reductase inhibitor
Drug.ATC_prefix: G04
Drug.ATC_suffix: CB01
Drug.legal_AU: S4
Drug.legal_CA: Rx-only

via Wikipedia infobox

Chemical data

Formula: C23H36N2O2
Molecular weight: 372.5 g/mol
IUPAC name: (1S,3aS,3bS,5aR,9aR,9bS,11aS)-N-tert-butyl-9a,11a-dimethyl-7-oxo-1,2,3,3a,3b,4,5,5a,6,9b,10,11-dodecahydroindeno[5,4-f]quinoline-1-carboxamide
SMILES: C[C@]12CC[C@H]3[C@H]([C@@H]1CC[C@@H]2C(=O)NC(C)(C)C)CC[C@@H]4[C@@]3(C=CC(=O)N4)C
InChIKey: DBEPLOCGEIEOCV-WSBQPABSSA-N
XLogP: 3
Polar surface area: 58.2 Å²
H-bond donors: 2
H-bond acceptors: 2
Formal charge: 0

via PubChem

Research

4,080 papers

Comparison of oral minoxidil, finasteride, and dutasteride for treating androgenetic alopecia.The Journal of dermatological treatment · 2022
Finasteride for hair loss: a review.The Journal of dermatological treatment · 2022
Efficacy and safety of topical finasteride spray solution for male androgenetic alopecia: a phase III, randomized, controlled clinical trial.Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV · 2022
Risk of Depression Associated With Finasteride Treatment.Journal of clinical psychopharmacology · 2021
Sexual side effects of 5-α-reductase inhibitors finasteride and dutasteride: A comprehensive review.Dermatology online journal · 2017

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Mass: 372.278

Show 6 more facts

chemical formula: C₂₃H₃₆N₂O₂
Commons category: Finasteride
canonical SMILES: CC12CCC3C(C1CCC2C(=O)NC(C)(C)C)CCC4C3(C=CC(=O)N4)C
isomeric SMILES: C[C@]12CC[C@H]3[C@H]([C@@H]1CC[C@@H]2C(=O)NC(C)(C)C)CC[C@@H]4[C@@]3(C=CC(=O)N4)C
World Health Organisation international non-proprietary name: finasteride
defined daily dose: 1

Sources (7)

via Wikidata · CC0

~24 min read

Article

26 sections

Contents

Medical uses
Enlarged prostate
Pattern hair loss
Prostate cancer
Excessive hair growth
Adverse effects
Sexual adverse effects
Finasteride for androgenetic alopecia (hair loss in men)
Finasteride for benign prostatic hyperplasia
Long-term
Post-finasteride syndrome
Overdose
Interactions
Pharmacology
Pharmacodynamics
Pharmacokinetics
Chemistry
Synthesis
History
Society and culture
Generic names
Brand names
Athletics
Miscellaneous
Research
References

Finasteride is a 5α-reductase inhibitor and therefore an antiandrogen. It works by decreasing the production of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by about 70%.