Orange County Register

Ads for the eyelash-lengthening drug Latisse “embody everything that’s wrong about direct-to-consumer drug advertising,” says the Consumer Reports Health Blog.

Jamie Kopf Hirsh, associate editor of the newsletter Consumer Reports on Health, criticized the ads for “glam-infused over-the-topness” that makes “a powerful prescription drug that can cost more than $100 a month sound like just a really, really cool new makeup item (and featuring superstar Brooke Shields, no less).”

Hirsh said direct-to-consumer ads such as the Latisse commercials “tend to downplay potential dangers in favor of showing how happy you’d be if you just took the drug. And they rattle off serious side effects in voices so soothing and sweet you might miss the fact [that, for drugs other than Latisse,] they’re talking about things like compulsive gambling and possible death.”

Not surprisingly, Allergan disagrees with that position. In response to a request for comment on the Consumer Reports post, a company spokeswoman stated:

Allergan is committed to communicating accurate and balanced efficacy and safety information about Latisse to physicians and patients in all of its promotional activities, including its direct-to-consumer advertising and marketing efforts, in full accordance with rules and regulations of the FDA.

In the case of Latisse, which is made by Irvine-based Allergan, potential side effects include:

• Hair growth in undesired locations that come in contact with Latisse and
• Possibly a change of eye color, which has not been reported with Latisse but has been experienced by some patients using the similar, stronger drug Lumigan, which is applied directly into the eyes as a treatment for glaucoma.

In an email about the blog, Consumer Reports summarized the post’s message thus:

CR spells it out—the drug, which costs about $100 a month, could make hair grow in places you don’t want it; it could turn your blue eyes brown; it could cause darkening of the lower eyelids and a “raccoon” look; and it could give you itchy, red eyes. And P.S., when you stop using Latisse, your eyelashes return to normal.

Local dermatologists say Latisse is popular with their patients. (See before and after photos) and has not produced any such side effects.  Doctors also say they have developed techniques patients use to apply less Latisse each day, which can cut the cost in half.

The Food and Drug Administration recently warned Allergan that it must change some of its online marketing materials for Latisse because they did not mention side effects. (See last month’s “In Your Face” post, “Allergan downplays risks of its eyelash drug, FDA says.”)

An Allergan spokeswoman said at the time that the company was “working closely with the FDA to address and resolve all of their concerns in a timely fashion.” 

The FDA did not criticize Latisse marketing materials other than portions of the Latisse Web site. In its letter, the FDA noted these potential side effects from Latisse:

• Turning patients’ irises brown.
• Darkening of the eyelid.
• Hair growth wherever Latisse “comes in repeated contact with the skin surface.”
• Contamination of Latisse or its drug applicators, potentially causing bacterial infection.
• Absorption into soft contact lenses of the chemical benzalkonium chloride, which is contained in Latisse.

The Consumer Reports blog also focused on the role of Latisse celebrity endorser Brooke Shields:

A representative for Brooke Shields declined to say how long Brooke has suffered from the disease of eyelash inadequacy.

But she did confirm that Brooke started using Latisse in February 2009, “after consulting with a doctor who determined she was an appropriate candidate for treatment with Latisse,” and that she is still using it. If you’re good at math, you’ll know that adds up to around $800 worth of eyelash improvement and counting.

The organization’s position on Latisse is that consumers should “think hard before using it, given the cost and unsavory risks.” Instead of Latisse, Consumer Reports recommends an old stand-by, mascara, at a cost of just $7 to $9 per container.

‘Brooke Shields, age 12 to 43′ slide show

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