Glaucoma drug, Lumigan has been declared a safe and effective way to make eyelashes longer and fuller, according to US government experts.
Allergen, the company behind the drug, have appealed to the Food and Drug Administration to approve its formula to enhance eyelashes.
A panel of outside eye and skin specialist unanimously voted that the benefits of the drug outweighed the risks. However it also voted that Allergen should be required to carry out follow-up studies to address questions about the drug's use among certain patient groups.
"I'm worried about off-label, non supervised use of this medication, and I'm concerned teenagers might use it three or four times a day instead of once," said Dr. Marijean Miller, an ophthalmologist with the Children's National Medical Center in Washington.
The drug is currently sold as a treatment for glaucoma. In studies for that treatment researchers found that the drug stimulated eyelash growth. It found that applying the formula once a day significantly increased prominence of lashes after four months. It increased eyelash length, thickness and darkness.
If approved as a cosmetic treatment Allergen plans to re-brand the produce, calling it Latisse.
The FDA is not required to follow the panel's advice, but it normally does. The agency is expected to make a decision on the drug some time next year.