Margot Roig, head of Pharmacy Offices at the Official College of Pharmacists of Zaragoza, warns of the consequences this situation could have for regular patients. “When medicines are used for indications they were not intended for, you cause a serious problem for the patient who genuinely needs them,” she told ARAGÓN DIGITAL.
Loniten is currently experiencing supply problems after consumption increased because of its use to treat baldness. According to Roig, production of the medicine had been scaled to meet the needs of patients with hypertension, so the rise in prescriptions for other uses has ultimately affected availability.
MINOXIDIL AT THE CENTRE OF THE PROBLEM
The reason for this change in use lies in its active ingredient, minoxidil, which is also used to slow hair loss. Traditionally, patients with alopecia could receive this compound through a compounded formulation tailored to their needs, but this option is considerably more expensive.
Roig explains that these formulations can cost “three or four times more” than Loniten, which costs 6.35 euros and is covered by the Aragon Health Service. This price difference appears to have encouraged some professionals to prescribe the commercially available medicine directly.
“I think many doctors have said: if this medicine also exists, let’s prescribe it because it saves the patient money, even though it is not indicated for that use,” the pharmacist says. The result has been an increase in demand that was not initially anticipated.
Unlike what happened with Ozempic, Roig believes the impact on patient care is smaller because there are other alternatives for treating hypertension. Even so, she points out that the problem particularly affects people whose treatment had already been stabilised and who must now change it.
These patients are advised to see their primary care doctor to assess another treatment option while supplies return to normal. Loniten availability is expected to recover towards the end of the year, although the dates are still approximate.
