Balding and irritable? Firm launches gel for male menopause

A cure-all for the “male menopause” is to be launched today by a Scottish company in the form of a synthetic testosterone gel that can be absorbed through the skin.

Tostran is a prescription gel aimed at men over 40 who suffer from “hypogonadism” – a condition whose main symptoms include baldness, weight gain, lethargy, irritability, reduced libido and erectile dysfunction.

ProStrakan, which is marketing the drug, claims that up to 12 per cent of men over 40 and 91 per cent of men over 80 suffer from the condition, yet few ever seek medical attention.

Testosterone is a hormone produced by the testicles and is responsible for the development of male sexual characteristics. It maintains muscle bulk, ensures adequate levels of red blood cells as well as bone growth and sexual function.

Men over the age of 30 experience a natural decline in their body’s production of testosterone.

In tablet form, testosterone is broken down by the stomach so a gel is preferable to the only alternatives – regular injections or an implant. Patients rub the gel over themselves once per day and absorb the testosterone through their skin.

Wilson Totten, chief executive of ProStrakan, the Galashiels-based group behind the product, forecasts peak sales of Tostran could reach $150 million (£76 million) a year.

He described the UK launch of the product as a “very important step” for the company and said it would be followed by a roll-out across Europe later this year and the US in 2009.