Allergan drug boosts eyelashes, panel says

A panel of government experts said Friday that a glaucoma drug from Allergan Inc. appeared to be a safe and effective way to make eyelashes longer and fuller.

Irvine-based Allergan, which makes Botox anti-wrinkle injections, has asked the Food and Drug Administration to approve its Lumigan formula to enhance eyelashes for patients 18 and older.

The agency’s panel of outside eye and skin specialists voted unanimously that the drug’s benefits outweighed its risks.

However, the same panel voted 5 to 3 with one abstention that Allergan should be required to conduct follow-up studies to address questions about the drug’s use among certain patients.

“I’m worried about off-label, nonsupervised use of this medication, and I’m concerned teenagers might use it three or four times a day instead of once,” said Dr. Marijean Miller, an ophthalmologist with the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington.

The FDA is not required to follow the panel’s advice, though it normally does. The agency is expected to make a decision on the drug next year.

Shares of Allergan rose $2.12 to $38.54.