FDA Warns Allergan About Web Site For Eyelash Thickener
17 September 2009 - 6:05AM
Dow Jones News
The Web site of Allergan Inc.'s (AGN) Latisse is misleading
because it suggests the company's eyelash thickener is more safe
than proven, federal regulators said on Wednesday.
In a letter to Allergan dated Sept. 10, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration said the company's Web site omits information about
how people using Latisse are at risk for contracting bacterial
keratitis, which can be blinding. The letter was posted on the
FDA's Web site Wednesday.
Representatives for Allergan, based in Irvine, Calif., weren't
immediately available to comment.
Latisse was approved by the FDA in December. It can increase the
length, thickness and darkness of eyelashes by using a drug the
company created to treat glaucoma. The FDA says Allergan's Web site
and other promotional material for the product omits risk
information. For instance, the promotional material doesn't mention
that Latisse may cause hair to grow in areas other than the eye if
it comes in repeated contact with the skin.
The FDA wants the company to correct the material. Allergan has
until Sept. 24 to respond.
Shares of Allergan traded recently at $58.78, up 3%.
-By Jared A. Favole, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9207;
jared.favole@dowjones.com