Baldness, prostate drugs raise infertility risk

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called on the drug company Merck to extend warnings about possible sexual side effects of the two drugs Propecia and Proscar Press TV reported.
Both of the mediations contain a main active ingredient called finasteride which reduces male hormone activity which is also associated with side effects.

The new label for the baldness medicine Propecia will include libido and other sexual disorders that continued after discontinuation of the drug, the FDA said in a statement.

Proscar, which treats symptoms of enlarged prostate or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) will now have a label that adds “decreased libido that continued after discontinuation of the drug.” The prostate drug has five times more finasteride than a dose of Propecia.

Both drugs' labels will also include a new description of reported cases of male infertility that improved after patients stopped taking the drug.

Labels of the two drugs already warn of such side effects but the health officials want physicians and patients to know the problems may continue to occur even after patients stop taking those medication.

“Despite the fact that clear causal links between finasteride (Propecia and Proscar) and sexual adverse events have NOT been established, the cases suggest a broader range of adverse effects than previously reported in patients taking these drugs,” the FDA added.

“Therefore, prescribers and patients need to be aware of them, as part of a discussion of risk and benefits of finasteride when determining the best treatment options.”