Study Highlights Potential Minoxidil Shortage

These data reveal a significant care gap resulting from oral minoxidil 2.5 mg and 10mg shortages within the surrounding neighborhoods of Washington DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia, which could potentially translate to the national level.

Minoxidil may be in short supply at some pharmacies, potentially jeopardizing patients’ efforts to treat hair loss, according to new research in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.

Minoxidil must be taken daily, and any interruption can result in more hair loss, explains study author Adam Friedman, MD, professor and chair of dermatology at George Washington University in Washington, DC.

After Dr. Friedman noted that his patients were having difficulty obtaining 30-day supplies of minoxidil from their Washington, D.C.-area pharmacies, he designed a study to evaluate current inventories of varied dosages of oral minoxidil at mainstream pharmacies in surrounding neighborhoods of Washington DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia (DMV area). 

During the first week of October 2023, a total of 277 pharmacies were contacted by telephone using standardized scripts to assess the availability and quantity of oral minoxidil in stock both for 2.5 mg tablets and 10 mg tablets, with specific inquiry for a 30-day supply and thirty tablets of each dosing.  

Just 40% of those pharmacies could immediately fill 30-day prescriptions for minoxidil in doses used to treat hair loss (2.5 milligrams). 

Exactly why there is a shortage is not fully understood yet, but it may be because the drug had been gaining attention on mainstream and social media — which could have triggered a rise in prescriptions. There’s been a sudden rise in patients' interest and possibly the industry wasn’t ready, Dr. Friedman says. I t's also used for multiple types of hair loss including alopecia areata with janus kinase inhibitors. 

It is unclear how long patients would have to wait for their medication based on the survey. “These findings likely extrapolate behind the DND A centralized system that can notify practitioners when shortages are eminent could help at least prepare us for the clinical impact."