Olsen Finasteride 5-year Results in Detail: Numbers, Subgroups, and Time Course
HealthRX.com
The five-year report shows durable hair gains versus placebo
Key numbers
- 66%Finasteride recipients whose vertex hair loss improved on photos at 2 yearsSource: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, as cited Nov 7, 2026
- 3.8%Finasteride users reporting sexual side effects in the three 12-month trialsSource: dailymed.nlm.nih.gov, as cited Nov 7, 2026
- 12 monthsTime for hair loss to reverse after stopping finasteride treatmentSource: dailymed.nlm.nih.gov, as cited Nov 7, 2026
From the public record
FDA label facts for finasteride
The FDA label read for finasteride (PROSCAR, application NDA020180) was last revised on 2026-03-18. It carries no boxed warning. Of the 4 population sections checked, 4 are present: pregnancy, lactation, pediatric use, geriatric use.
| Measure | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Label revision date | 2026-03-18 | |
| Label read | PROSCAR | NDA020180, brand-name application |
| Boxed warning | No | |
| Pregnancy section | Present | |
| Lactation section | Present | |
| Pediatric use section | Present | |
| Geriatric use section | Present |
How this was calculated
Selected the most recently revised prescription label for this single ingredient from an original manufacturer, preferring a brand-name application. Checked which sections exist and quoted headings and sentences exactly as printed.
One label: the newest prescription label for single-ingredient finasteride from an original manufacturer
Read from one label. Labels for other brands, strengths or forms of the same ingredient can differ. A missing section heading does not mean there is no guidance. Read the full label before relying on it.
From the public record
Registered clinical studies of finasteride
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 95 registered studies that name finasteride as an intervention as of 2026-11-11. Of these, 6 are recruiting, 62 are completed and 20 are phase 3 studies.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Registered studies | 95 |
| Recruiting now | 6 |
| Not yet recruiting | 3 |
| Completed | 62 |
| Terminated, withdrawn or suspended | 10 |
| Phase 3 (including phase 2/3) | 20 |
| Phase 2 (including phase 1/2) | 22 |
| Phase 1 | 20 |
How this was calculated
Searched the ClinicalTrials.gov intervention field for the name, downloaded every matching record and counted by overall status and phase. Combined phases are counted under the higher phase. Phase not applicable covers observational, device and behavioural studies.
Studies whose intervention field matches finasteride, any condition, any country, all statuses
A registered study is not a result. Counts include studies where the drug is a comparator or background treatment, and studies that never finished or reported.
From the public record
Medicare Part D spending on finasteride
Medicare Part D spending on finasteride products was $96.6M in 2024 across 7,381,373 claims, compared with $111.9M in 2023 (-13.7%). Average spending per claim was $13.09, before rebates.
| Measure | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Total spending, 2024 | $96.6M | |
| Total spending, 2023 | $111.9M | |
| Change in spending, 2023 to 2024 | -13.7% | |
| Claims (prescription fills), 2024 | 7,381,373 | |
| Average spending per claim, 2024 | $13.09 | |
| Finasteride: spending, 2024 | $96.2M | 7,380,163 claims |
| Proscar: spending, 2024 | $405,645 | 1,210 claims |
How this was calculated
Summed total spending and claims over every brand and generic row with this generic name in the CMS file, using the Overall manufacturer rows. Combination products excluded. Average per claim is spending divided by claims.
Every single-ingredient finasteride product in Part D (Finasteride, Proscar), 2024.
Gross drug cost before manufacturer rebates, so net cost is lower. Part D excludes some uses by law (for example erectile dysfunction, weight loss and hair growth), so claims reflect covered uses only. Compounded products are not included.
At a glance
- Trial program / Two 1-year Phase III trials plus up to four 1-year extension studies [1]
- Randomized / 1,553 men aged 18 to 41 with male pattern hair loss [1][2]
- Extension entry / 1,215 men continued into the extensions [1]
- Treatment / Finasteride 1 mg once daily versus placebo [1]
- Measures / Vertex hair count, patient and investigator assessment, expert photo review [1]
- 5-year result / Durable hair improvement, placebo progressive loss, P ≤ 0.001 all endpoints [1]
- Year-2 hair count / 138 more hairs than placebo in the 5.1 cm² vertex circle, baseline 876 [2]
What did the 5-year study measure?
Two 1-year Phase III trials randomized 1,553 men with male pattern hair loss to finasteride 1 mg/day or placebo, and 1,215 of them continued into up to four 1-year placebo-controlled extension studies, for a treatment window of up to five years [1]. Efficacy was judged by hair counts, patient and investigator assessments, and panel review of clinical photographs [1]. The men were aged 18 to 41, and hair was counted in a 1-inch (5.1 cm²) circle on the balding vertex, where they averaged 876 hairs at baseline [2].
What the five-year report actually found
Finasteride led to durable improvements in scalp hair over five years (P ≤ 0.001 versus placebo, all endpoints), placebo-treated men lost hair progressively, and long-term treatment was generally well tolerated with no new safety concerns identified [1].
The concrete hair-count figures come from the first two years of the program. Finasteride-treated men had 107 more hairs than placebo at 1 year and 138 more at 2 years in the vertex target area (P < .001) [2]. On global photographs of vertex hair loss, 48% of finasteride recipients improved at 1 year and 66% at 2 years, against 7% of placebo recipients at both points; hair counts showed 83% of finasteride versus 28% of placebo recipients had no further loss at 2 years [3].
What people on Reddit report
Long-term finasteride users on Reddit describing how their regrowth changed over time, including people who stopped minoxidil while staying on finasteride and saw different results.
The greatest regrowth and thickening I had was within the first two months (my first post).Read the source discussion
You might be an anomaly. I stopped min while on fin and totally lost my ground. Many people here report the same. Still it's cool to know it's not the rule.Read the source discussion
Regrowth was finasteride work that's it. Maybe not a responder to min in the first placeRead the source discussion
Definitely Getting good regrowth but I find my results waver. Sometimes my hair will thin then it will thicken up, did you experience the same thing ?Read the source discussion
Questions worth asking
Is there a year-3, year-4 or year-5 hair count?
The 5-year abstract gives no annual means beyond the second year, so no year-5 hair count can be attributed to this study. What it does report is direction and durability: gains held across five years and separated from placebo, whose counts fell progressively [1].
Vertex versus frontal scalp
The extension program followed the two vertex trials [4][1]. The label states that efficacy in bitemporal recession has not been established, and the separate 12-month trial that enrolled 326 men with anterior mid-scalp loss was not one of the two vertex trials from which men continued into extensions [4]. The five-year durability data therefore apply to vertex hair loss.
Sexual side effects over the treatment period
In the three 12-month controlled trials (945 men on finasteride, 934 on placebo), 3.8% of finasteride users reported at least one of decreased libido, erectile dysfunction or ejaculation disorder versus 2.1% on placebo (p=0.04), and the incidence of each fell to 0.3% or lower by the fifth year [4]. The label states that resolution occurred in men who discontinued because of these effects and in most of those who continued [4]. Its postmarketing section also lists sexual dysfunction that continued after discontinuation of treatment [4]. The label further says continued use is recommended to sustain benefit and that withdrawal of treatment leads to reversal of effect within 12 months [4]. HealthRX.com offers finasteride 1 mg by prescription.
What about prostate cancer and long-term safety?
The 5-year report describes no new safety concerns [1]. Separately, 5-alpha reductase inhibitor labels warn that these drugs may increase the risk of high-grade prostate cancer, based on a 7-year trial of finasteride 5 mg in men 55 and older in which Gleason 8 to 10 cancer occurred in 1.8% versus 1.1% on placebo; the label says the clinical significance for men taking 1 mg is unknown [4].
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Frequently asked questions
What were the main 5-year results of the Olsen finasteride study?
How many more hairs did finasteride produce than placebo?
Do the hair gains last after finasteride is stopped?
Do the 5-year results cover frontal hair loss?
What happened to sexual side effects over five years?
Reader questions
What people actually ask
Short answers drawn from the sources this article cites.
What is the success rate of finasteride for hair loss?
At 1 year, 48% of finasteride users improved on global photographs of vertex hair loss, and 66% improved at 2 years, against 7% of placebo users at both points. By hair counts, 83% of finasteride users had no further loss at 2 years versus 28% on placebo.
Can I take 5 mg of finasteride?
The hair-loss results here are all for finasteride 1 mg once daily. The only 5 mg data come from a 7-year prostate trial in men 55 and older, where Gleason 8 to 10 cancer occurred in 1.8% versus 1.1% on placebo. The label says the clinical significance of that prostate cancer risk for men taking 1 mg is unknown.
References
Show all 6 referencesHide references
- Finasteride Male Pattern Hair Loss Study Group. Long-term (5-year) multinational experience with finasteride 1 mg in the treatment of men with androgenetic alopecia. Eur J Dermatol. 2002;12(1):38-49.
- Kaufman KD, Olsen EA, Whiting D, Savin R, DeVillez R, Bergfeld W, et al. Finasteride in the treatment of men with androgenetic alopecia. Finasteride Male Pattern Hair Loss Study Group. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1998;39(4 Pt 1):578-89.
- McClellan KJ, Markham A. Finasteride: a review of its use in male pattern hair loss. Drugs. 1999;57(1):111-26.
- U.S. National Library of Medicine, DailyMed. Propecia (finasteride 1 mg) tablets, Organon prescribing information. Propecia (finasteride 1 mg) tablets, Organon label
- Reddit participants. 22 | ~34 Months Finasteride Update (r/tressless). Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Reddit participants. 10 years on Finasteride results (r/Hairloss). Accessed 2026-11-11.