Eflornithine (hydrochloride)

Eflornithine hydrochloride is a specific, irreversible inhibitor of the enzyme ornithine decarboxylase. Eflornithine is a medication for the treatment of African trypanosomiasis and excessive facial hair growth in women. In Vivo: Eflornithine is the only new molecule registered for the treatment of human African trypanosomiasis over the last 50 years. It is the drug used mainly as a back-up for melarsoprol refractory Trypanosoma brucei gambiense cases^[1]. In subjects with excessive, unwanted facial hair, eflornithine 15% cream is superior to placebo in reducing hair growth. After 24 weeks' treatment, 58% of eflornithine and 34% of placebo subjects have at least some improvement in facial hirsutism^[2]. The hair growth inhibitory activity of eflornithine is significantly enhanced when the eflornithine cream is applied onto a mouse skin area pretreated with microneedles^[3]. Treatment of coarctation hypertensive rats with eflornithine results in a normalization of the contractile intensity to KCI and norepinephrine and relaxations to acetylcholine by 14 days of hypertension^[4].