First FDA Approved Drug For Longer Eyelashes Out In The Market Soon

January 14, 2009 9:47 a.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Allergan, the drug firm that introduced Botox to the plastic surgery industry, will launch late this month Latisse, which got in late December approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Latisse is a prescription medication to grow longer eyelashes.

It has the same formula as Allergan's Lumigan eye drops used for treating glaucoma, falling under the category prostaglandin analogs. Drugs in that category are used to reduce pressure in the eyeballs. The longer eyelashes are a side effect of Lumigan.

But aside from the longer lashes, prostaglandin analogs also cause red, itchy eyes and changes in the color of the eyelid. It will also come with a price tag of $120 for a monthly dose.

Allergan chief executive David Pyott estimates Latisse may bring in for the company $500 million in long-term sales. Botox, which removes wrinkles, contributed $600 million in 2007 to Allergan's revenues.

He believes many women would not mind spending $120 for a three milliliter dose of Latiss, which is just equivalent to a cup of coffee daily. "If you think about it in terms of luxury, it's four dollars a day... We think this is fairly acceptable to a large segment of people even in these times," Pyott told the New York Times.