
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 28, 1994                   TAG: 9407280096
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BETHESDA, MD.                                 LENGTH: Short

LOOKS LIKE 'NO' FOR ROGAINE

A drug to fight baldness should not be sold without a prescription, a scientific advisory panel told government regulators Wednesday.

The Upjohn Co. is seeking permission from the Food and Drug Administration to sell Rogaine, the hair growth medicine, over the counter.

But an FDA advisory committee recommended against the move, saying that so few people benefit from Rogaine that wider availability would merely encourage the general public to waste its money. The FDA is not bound by advisory committee decisions but usually follows them.

Committee Chairman Randy Juhl, dean of the pharmacy school at the University of Pittsburgh, said people who do benefit from Rogaine do better when under a doctor's care. One trial showed hair growth in 26 percent of men who used Rogaine that way, compared with 11 percent of men who didn't have a doctor's supervision.

Upjohn is ``disappointed'' with the recommendation, said Dr. Joann L. Data, a company vice president. ``But the final outcome will be made by the agency.'' Upjohn officials presented extensive studies Wednesday showing that Rogaine has been used safely by 3.8 million people worldwide.

by CNB