Upjohn Asks U.S. to Bar Imports of Baldness Drug

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Upjohn Co. moved to protect its rights to sell minoxidil for treatment of baldness today, asking federal regulators to halt imports of the drug by 20 companies in seven countries.

The company also filed a lawsuit asking the U.S. District Court in Dallas to halt treatment of baldness by a Dallas clinic, Upjohn spokeswoman Kaye Bennett said.

Upjohn asked the International Trade Commission in Washington to investigate companies “we believe have infringed our patent rights to minoxidil,” Bennett said. “We’ve requested that the ITC investigate the companies’ importation of powders, salts, liquid concentrates and topical concentrations of minoxidil.”

Minoxidil, developed by Upjohn, has been used for about 20 years as a treatment for high blood pressure, and the company’s patents have expired. Upjohn, however, holds patents for the external application of minoxidil as a treatment for baldness in men.

Upjohn has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve use of the drug as a treatment for hair loss under the trade name Rogaine. In March, an FDA advisory panel recommended approval of the drug, the first shown to make hair grow on bald men.

The companies named in the ITC complaint are located in six states--California, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Texas--and in six other nations, Austria, Canada, Finland, Italy, Mexico and Switzerland.

The Dallas lawsuit, filed against Headstart Haircare, asks the court to bar further sales of minoxidil as a baldness treatment and seeks unspecified damages.