Earlier this month I wrote about the drug industry's efforts to pathologize everyday human experiences such as occasional impotence or shyness by giving them serious-sounding names (erectile dysfunction and social anxiety disorder, respectively), and then push pills to combat these "illnesses."
Now, the "drugs for everything" approach has reached a new high - or low - with news that Allergan Inc. (the company that gave us Botox) has received FDA approval to market a topical drug trade-named Latisse that will increase the length, thickness and darkness of eyelashes.
The active ingredient, bimatoprost, was originally developed to treat glaucoma, but Allergan estimates that global peak sales for a rebranded eyelash-enhancing version could top $500 million a year.
In my view, using a glaucoma drug this way is unwise. The eye is a sensitive mechanism, and applying a pharmaceutical to the eyelid for a subtle cosmetic enhancement is a classic example of an unfavorable risk/reward ratio. True, side effects were moderate during a 16-week study: four of 137 patients dropped out because of mild or moderate eczema, dry eye, eye inflammation or dermatitis. But what might happen after years or decades of applications?
Further, the company's Web site points out that Latisse may cause darkening of the eyelid skin that may be irreversible, and (though the company says this was not seen in clinical studies) may also cause irreversible brown pigmentation of the colored part of the eye, effects that at least some users may not want. Finally, a 30-day supply will reportedly cost $120, not cheap for such a dubious product.
I hope that drugs like this one represent the last gasp of an out-of-control pharmaceutical industry, and that the incoming administration will staff the FDA with officials who understand that not all human imperfections are "diseases" that can or should be addressed with drugs.
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