Prison inmate demands bald cure

May 2007

A prisoner has demanded to know why a baldness cure is not available to follically-challenged inmates.

The lag wrote to offenders` newspaper Inside Time to ask why he could not get hold of the anti-hair loss drug Propecia.

The product is a brand name for the drug finasteride, which can be prescribed to counter male-pattern baldness.

The prisoner, who was not named, wrote: "Can Inside Time tell me why Propecia would not appear to be available to prisoners through healthcare, as it is certainly available under the NHS."

It was not disclosed if the prisoner who wrote the letter was bald.

Fiona Pearson, of the Prison Service`s health service, replied: "Propecia is only available on private prescription from GPs in England, following a Department of Heath consultation in 2000."