The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a repurposed glaucoma treatment for longer, fuller eyelashes.
(ABC News Photo Illustration)WASHINGTON (AP) - A panel of government experts said Friday a glaucoma drug from Allergan appears to be a safe and effective way to make eyelashes longer and fuller.
Allergan, which makes Botox anti-wrinkle injections, has asked the Food and Drug Administration to approve its Lumigan formula to enhance eyelashes for patients 18 and older.
The agency's panel of outside eye and skin specialists voted unanimously that the drug's benefits outweigh its risks.
"I have absolutely no reason to question the efficacy or the effect of Lumigan," said Dr. M. Roy Wilson, chancellor of the University of Denver. "I also want to emphasize that I don't have any concerns about potential side effects on the eyelid."
However, the same panel voted 5-3 with one abstention that Allergan should be required to conduct follow-up studies to address questions about the drug's use among certain patients.
"I'm worried about off-label, nonsupervised use of this medication, and I'm concerned teenagers might use it three or four times a day instead of once," said Dr. Marijean Miller, an ophthalmologist with the Children's National Medical Center in Washington.
Other experts noted that only one African-American patient was included in company trials and said Allergan should be required to show the drug's effectiveness in that population.
Panelists also discussed what types of physicians should be able to prescribe the drug. Allergan would like any licensed physician to be able to write a prescription. However, panelists debated whether younger patients should be able to get the drug only after seeing an eye specialist.
The FDA is not required to follow the panel's advice, though it normally does. The agency is expected to make a decision on the drug in mid-2009.
The drug is already marketed to treat eye conditions stemming from glaucoma. In studies for that treatment, researchers first noticed the drug seemed to stimulate eyelash growth.
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