R E C O M M E N D E D  R E A D I N G


Spanish Newspaper La Vanguardia on PFS

June 26, 2017


Dear Friends:


The European media is once again taking note of post-finasteride syndrome, complete with references to research sponsored by the PFS Foundation.


This time it’s La Vanguardia, the fourth-largest newspaper in Spain, which boasts a daily circulation of 200,000 copies.


The 1,100-word feature by Guillermo García Ballescá, headlined From Depression to Suicide, notes that “According to the Uppsala Monitoring Center, an organization that promotes responsible pharmaceutical use and collaborates with the World Health Organization, more than 8,000 cases of post-finasteride syndrome have been reported in the Americas.”


Also that “a study conducted at Northwestern University showed that around 1.5% of finasteride patients, who had no prior history of the condition, experienced erectile dysfunction.”

Additionally, reports Ballescá, “It’s not all a bed of roses for patients taking this medication.


"On May 24, the UK Health Ministry warned of an unusual number of cases of depression among patients who consumed finasteride in doses of 1mg.


"The agency also said that, in some cases, the drug leads to suicide. For this reason, it has advised doctors to pay special attention when prescribing the drug.”


PFS Foundation CEO Dr. John Santmann is quoted as well, telling the 136-year-old newspaper: 

“Imagine being assured that you can get back the hair you lost and keep it forever. But you’re also told that you have to pick one of a hundred guns on a table—only one of which is loaded—hold it to your head and pull the trigger. Most of us wouldn’t think twice about leaving the room unceremoniously.”


La Vanguardia’s PFS story marks the fourth such feature out of Europe in the past three months.


On March 19, Germany's The World on Sunday ran a report headlined Finasteride Is Considered a Miracle Cure for Hair Loss, but Patients Report Serious Side Effects.


On April 3, a second major German daily, Frankfurt General Newspaper, published Is Balding Your Destiny?


And on April 9, New Zurich Times, the largest paper in Switzerland, issued a front-page story titled Combating Baldness Isn’t Risk-Free: The most famous hair-growth agent is under attack. It's said to cause depression and potency problems.


To help ease the many burdens of PFS, the foundation last year launched a Patient Support Program that connects patients with fellow patients and their family members worldwide. As part of that program, we are able to connect family members of PFS patients who have taken their own lives with other family members dealing with the same tragedy.


Anyone interested in participating in these efforts, should download our Patient Support PDF or Suicide Support PDF, and email it back to [email protected].


We’ve also been steadily building our list of doctors who see PFS patients and have volunteered to help counsel them on remaining stable. At present, there are 48 such medical professionals on that list, which can be found in the Patient Support section of our Resources page.


Meanwhile, we’d like to remind all PFS patients and/or their loved ones who have not yet done so to report their symptoms to the FDA’s MedWatch program as directed here. Those living outside the United States should also access the WHO’s Collaborating Centre for International Drug Monitoring list of pharmacovigilance agencies and report to their respective health agency.


Please take a moment to read the La Vanguardia story soon. The original can be accessed by clicking here, and the English translation by clicking here.


And as always, feel free to share these links with your health-care professionals, particularly those who may have doubted your persistent side effects in the past, as well as with friends and family.


Thank you.
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