Finasteride / working resource

Study reading worksheet

Separate a reported result from the question the study was designed to answer.

Start with the product-specific question

How finasteride works

Finasteride for male pattern hair loss, with the evidence and its limits in plain view. What should I know about how finasteride works?

The Finasteride Male Pattern Hair Loss Study Group reported clinically significant increases in hair count (baseline = 876 hairs), measured in a 1-inch diameter circular area (5.1 cm2) of balding vertex scalp, with finasteride treatment: 107 and 138 hairs vs placebo at 1 and 2 years (P < .001).
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Write the question before the result.

A Finasteride headline may describe an animal experiment, an uncontrolled observation or a randomized human trial. Those designs answer different questions. Complete the record before deciding whether a result applies to a product.

Document title and original URLExact molecule, formulation and route studiedStudy design and number of participants or samplesPopulation, condition and inclusion criteriaComparison or control groupPrimary endpoint and follow-up period

Keep the result attached to its boundary.

Actual result, units and uncertainty intervalWhich analysis or estimand produced this number?Was this the primary endpoint or a subgroup finding?Adverse events and missing or incomplete follow-upFunding, conflicts, correction or later publicationWhat does this study leave unanswered for this product?

When there is no human comparison group or no relevant clinical endpoint, record that explicitly. A mechanism, biomarker or plausible explanation does not become a demonstrated patient benefit.

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