Allergan's eyelash drug may expand options for some patients

The recent announcement by Allergan that its new eyelash-enhancing drug is moving toward approval has plastic surgeons looking forward to a cosmetic enhancement that some say will be quite popular with patients and could provide a nice boost to plastic surgery practices.

Allergan, based in Irvine, CA, recently announced that it intends to file a new drug application by the end of the third quarter of this year with the FDA for bimatoprost, a synthetic prostaglandin analog, as a treatment to stimulate eyelash growth.

Allergan has completed its clinical trial program demonstrating that its patented formulation of bimatoprost, when applied directly to the base of the eyelashes, results in -significant eyelash growth, says Scott Whitcup, MD, executive vice president of research and development at Allergan.