CHICAGO, /PRNewswire/ — Utah Jazz superstar Karl Malone and Green Bay Packers’ head football coach Mike Holmgren were introduced at a press conference here today as the first sports stars to treat their hairloss with
the recently approved Rogaine Extra Strength For Men.
Both Malone and Holmgren showed their results and their success could signal the beginning of a new trend for balding men — hair. In recent years, some men have elected to shave their heads to avoid the stigma of being labeled as bald or balding. Among the first to be identified
with the shave-it-all-off style were actors Yul Brynner and Telly Savalas. But it wasn’t until sports stars shaved the stigma from their respective heads that the bare look became a trend.
Sports stars once again will be heading up a new trend. Malone, the 1997 NBA Player of the Year who is known as the Mailman, has been using Rogaine Extra Strength For Men for four months and says the product delivered for him. “I had great results in just under two months,” said Malone, who once tried the shaved look, but found the maintenance too time-consuming. “My father saw how well Rogaine was working for me and asked me if I could get him some.
Pops, the Rogaine Extra Strength is in the mail.”
The 1997 Super Bowl Champions head coach said losing his hair was something he wanted to stop. Holmgren, who has noticed a gradual loss of hair over the past few years, said, “Losing my hair was something I wanted to prevent. Rogaine Extra Strength was the only option for me. I never considered any other methods of replacement. I would compare Rogaine Extra
Strength to handing off the ball to Dorsey Levens. It can cover a lot of open field in a short time.”
Rogaine Extra Strength For Men received direct over-the-counter clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration on November 14. This higher-strength solution regrows an average of 45 percent more hair than regular strength
Rogaine. Also, initial hair regrowth can occur in two months as opposed to four months with the lower strength product. Style experts believe this is an opportunity for men losing their hair.
“Never before have men had an opportunity to keep what they have, plus regrow such a significant amount of what they have already lost,” said fashion model Kim Alexis, referring to a post-marketing surveillance study for regular
strength Rogaine. The study revealed that 80 percent of the 10,000 users surveyed believed Rogaine regrew their hair or stopped their hairloss. “If it means merely applying Rogaine Extra Strength twice a day, that is nothing compared to the time it takes a man to shave his head every few days,” said Alexis.
When regular strength Rogaine was sold by prescription, the product had an average user base of 400,000 people. Once the product went over-the-counter in April 1996, the user base grew to approximately 2 million. “We know there
are 40 million American men experiencing common hereditary hairloss,” said Michael J. Valentino, president of Pharmacia & Upjohn’s Consumer Healthcare division for North America. “Our research shows that seven million of those
men are motivated enough to take action to treat their hairloss. We believe sports figures like Malone and Holmgren will help us reach those men.”
Shipments of Rogaine Extra Strength For Men began today and will be available by Christmas in the shampoo aisles of most food and drug stores, as well as mass merchandise outlets throughout the country. The product will be
offered initially in a Starter Kit and is expected to sell for less than $30 for a one-month’s supply and approximately $50 for a twin-pack. Each Starter Kit will include a one-month supply of Rogaine Extra Strength For Men, a four-ounce bottle of Progaine Shampoo, and an educational video hosted by Holmgren to help Rogaine users learn how to correctly use the product in order to gain maximum results. Progaine is a gently cleansing shampoo, perfect for people with thinning hair.
For questions about any Rogaine product, a hotline number is available to the public at 1-800-Rogaine (1-800-764-2463). Information about Rogaine is also available on the Internet at http://www.rogaine.com. Because Rogaine Extra Strength For Men works topically and not
systemically, the main side effects are cosmetic. Fewer than 10 percent of men in clinical trials reported itching and dryness of the scalp.
Rogaine Extra Strength For Men is one of the first over-the-counter products specifically approved for men only. The company is continuing to work towards approval for a higher strength product for women, which also has
no serious side effects associated with it. Like the men’s product, the main side effect is cosmetic — itching and dryness of the scalp. In the initial clinical trials for the women’s higher strength product, a small percentage of
women did report some unwanted hair growth — a fine, colorless, peach fuzz on the temple and upper cheeks of the face. Through continued use of the product, the peach fuzz disappeared within a few months for many of the women.
Pharmacia & Upjohn (NYSE: PNU) is a global, innovation-driven pharmaceutical and health care company. Pharmacia & Upjohn’s products,
services and employees demonstrate its commitment to improve wellness and
quality of life for people around the world.
