I just read about a new drug called Eucapil that supposedly prevents further hair loss and strengthens remaining hairs when applied topically. Right now it is only available in the EU and has not yet been approved for sale in the U.S. I'm not sure if it is possible to order it online and ship to the U.S.

It appears to have benefits similar to Propecia, but without any side effects. It doesn't work in the same way as Propecia though. From what I read on the website it doesn't change DHT levels but instead it somehow blocks DHT from entering the hair follicle. Full results are seen after about 12 months. There are some pictures on their web site. http://www.eucapil.com

Has anyone ever heard of this before? What do you guys think?

no.

Johnson,

I have never heard of this drug before. Keep in mind that generally speaking, there are many drugs that claim to be effective in treating hair loss and many so-called DHT blockers, etc. But keeping a certain level of skepticism while doing diligent research on a product is necessary.

I will make some time in the near future to do some research on this drug Eucapil however, I encourage any members to read up on this to see if there have been any clinical tests performed and what the results have been.

Falc

Johnson-
I am familiar with fluridil. Without going into too great a detail, this preparation acts TOPICALLY to inhibit the effects of DHT on the hair follicle. Current studies show that, similar to finasteride, there is an increase in the total percentage of hair in the active (vs resting) stage (from 76% to 87% at nine months.). I happen to personally know the clinical investigators (Dr. M Sovak, UCSD) and the clinical research facility (UCSD). Their results are clinically significant, and their research work and ethics are highly respected in the scientific research community.
At this time however, fluridil is not licensed for use in the US.
The main advantages fluridil boasts of are that it is a "hydrophobic" compound; that is, fat soluble. In addition, it is deactivated when coming in contact with water (a "hydrophilic" environment). This last fact makes so that IF it is absorbed into the bloodstream from the scalp, it is deactivated as soon as it hits the blood (an aqueous or "hydrophilic" environment). Hence, since it doesn't enter the circulation, there reportedly are none of the (normally low incidence anyway, 5%) sexual side effects.
Hope this helps-

Timothy Carman, MD