(Reuters) -The European drugs regulator said on Friday it was reviewing anti hair-loss drugs, including Merck’s Propecia, for the potential risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviour associated with them.
The European Medicines Agency said it would recommend whether the marketing authorisations for the drugs should be withdrawn, suspended or maintained across the region following its review.
Oral anti-baldness drugs, which contain finasteride and dutasteride, have a known risk of psychiatric side effects, including depression.
These drugs are sold under the brand name Propecia and Avodart by Merck and British drugmaker GSK, respectively, but also have generic versions available in the market.
(Reporting by Kashish Tandon in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Shinjini Ganguli)
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