Finasteride is sold at two separate strengths under two separate brands, Proscar (5 mg, for benign prostatic hyperplasia) and Propecia (1 mg, for male androgenetic alopecia), and licensed generic finasteride tablets at both strengths are now the majority of the market alongside the originator brands.
M Care Exports supplies finasteride, a synthetic 4-azasteroid 5-alpha reductase inhibitor originated by Merck and marketed as Proscar (5 mg, benign prostatic hyperplasia) and Propecia (1 mg, male androgenetic alopecia). FDA- and MHRA-licensed generic finasteride tablets at both strengths now sit alongside the originator brands on hospital urology and dermatology formularies. M Care is a merchant exporter: we source Proscar, Propecia and generic finasteride through licensed Indian distribution and manufacturing channels and dispatch on quote, not from our own manufacturing.
Finasteride exporter and bulk supplier from India.
For hospital urology, dermatology clinic and wholesaler orders, M Care quotes finasteride against buyer specification: brand (Proscar/Propecia) or generic, strength (1 mg or 5 mg), pack size and destination-market regulatory documentation, drawn from licensed WHO-GMP manufacturer lines on the M Care roster. Because the two strengths serve two distinct licensed indications and patient populations, we confirm the buyer's intended clinical use before dispatch, then align CTD/eCTD or country-specific dossier paperwork to the destination regulator's requirements. Given the MHRA's 2026 strengthened psychiatric and sexual side-effect warnings for finasteride, we also confirm that current patient information leaflets and, where applicable, patient alert cards accompany every consignment.
Source
WHO-GMP-certified Indian manufacturing line, named on every quote.
Minimum order
No blanket MOQ. Set by the source manufacturer's minimum batch-release quantity for the strength and pack ordered.
Pricing
On request. Indicative FOB or CIF quote, formal proforma on confirmation.
Incoterms
EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP or DAP.
Payment
Letter of credit (sight or usance) and telegraphic transfer.
Documentation
WHO-GMP certificate of the source line, product-specific CoPP, batch CoA, method of analysis, Free Sale Certificate, Certificate of Origin, CTD or eCTD dossier. On request.
Shelf-life
Minimum remaining shelf-life agreed per order and confirmed on the proforma.
Response
Availability and CoPP status within two working days; pre-alert documents before dispatch.
Synthetic 4-azasteroid; type II (and type I) 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, sourced and documented for export.
Finasteride is a synthetic 4-azasteroid that competitively inhibits type II (and, at higher exposure, type I) 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme converting testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Lowering DHT shrinks an enlarged prostate at 5 mg daily and slows androgen-driven scalp hair loss at 1 mg daily, which is why the same molecule is licensed at two strengths for two unrelated conditions rather than one dose-ranging indication. The FDA label for Proscar (5 mg) treats symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia, to improve symptoms, reduce the risk of acute urinary retention, and lower the likelihood of BPH-related surgery, alone or combined with doxazosin. The UK SmPC and FDA label for Propecia (1 mg) treat male pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) only, with three to six months of daily treatment typically needed before any stabilisation is seen. Both are oral film-coated tablets taken once daily with or without food; neither strength is indicated for use in women or children.
Active ingredient
Finasteride. Synthetic 4-azasteroid; type II (and type I) 5-alpha reductase inhibitor.
Forms and strengths
1 mg film-coated tablet; 5 mg film-coated tablet.
Indications
Finasteride, a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor that lowers dihydrotestosterone (DHT), supplied as originator Proscar (5 mg, benign prostatic hyperplasia) and Propecia (1 mg, male androgenetic alopecia) and as licensed generic tablets at both strengths from Indian WHO-GMP facilities to regulated and semi-regulated markets outside India.
Administration
Oral. Film-coated tablet.
Documentation
Batch-specific CoA, CoPP, manufacturing-site WHO-GMP certificate and stability data compiled per consignment, in the format the destination regulator expects.
Hospital pharmacies, licensed importers and tender desks across our export markets.
India is our origin. We do not sell into the Indian market.
Buyers for finasteride are mainly hospital urology outpatient pharmacies managing benign prostatic hyperplasia, dermatology clinics and private hair-loss services prescribing Propecia or generic 1 mg finasteride, national and regional MoH tender desks running men's-health and urology formulary lists, licensed pharmaceutical wholesalers and importers, and NGO or foundation procurement programmes supporting urology access in markets where local registration is in place. India is our origin. We do not sell into the Indian market. Finasteride is exported only.
GCC registration routes
Supply against MoH registration held by your local licensed importer, or via the GCC central registration pathway.
UK unlicensed routes
Where no UK licence exists, the MHRA Specials and named-patient import routes cover clinically justified demand.
Tender desks
Bid-pack documentation assembled to the tender's specification, from CoPP to batch records.
Dossier support
CTD documentation from the sourcing manufacturer, compiled for your regulator's format.
What the dispensing pharmacist checks on finasteride.
Finasteride dosing is strength-specific, not titrated: Proscar is a fixed 5 mg once daily for BPH, Propecia a fixed 1 mg once daily for androgenetic alopecia, and the two are not interchangeable by halving a tablet. No renal dose adjustment is required. As an oral solid dosage form, finasteride needs no reconstitution and travels on standard ambient-temperature logistics, not cold chain. The clinically important nuance for a dispensing pharmacist is safety-labelling, not pharmacokinetics: women who are or may become pregnant must not handle crushed or broken tablets, because absorbed finasteride can cause external genital abnormalities in a male foetus, and the intact film coating is the only barrier during normal handling. Finasteride also lowers serum PSA by roughly 50% on the 5 mg dose, so a baseline PSA before starting therapy is standard practice, and any confirmed rise from that new baseline should prompt investigation rather than reassurance. Following the MHRA's May 2026 strengthened warning, prescribers should ask about a history of depression or suicidal ideation before starting either strength, and patients on the 1 mg dose who develop mood or sexual side effects should stop treatment and seek review promptly, since these effects have been reported to persist after discontinuation in some patients.
The documentation pack a regulator actually asks for.
Finasteride does not appear on the current WHO Model List of Essential Medicines; procurement for it runs through national urology and dermatology formularies rather than an EML pathway, and it carries no AWaRe classification since it is not an antimicrobial. It is not a controlled drug in the UK, US or EU; both strengths are prescription-only medicines (POM in the UK) with no scheduling under narcotics or psychotropic conventions. On brand-versus-generic, Proscar and Propecia remain Merck's originator products at 5 mg and 1 mg respectively, but FDA- and MHRA-approved generic finasteride tablets at both strengths from multiple manufacturers are separately registered in the US, UK and EU, so buyers have a genuine brand-or-generic choice at either strength; because generics dominate volume at both doses today, most tender specifications default to generic finasteride unless a formulary specifically names Proscar or Propecia. The live regulatory event shaping 2026 procurement is the MHRA's 11 May 2026 drug safety update strengthening warnings on psychiatric side effects and sexual dysfunction for finasteride and dutasteride, which followed UK patient alert cards introduced in 2024 for both the 1 mg and 5 mg strengths; buyers registering finasteride in a new market should expect updated patient information leaflets reflecting this, and M Care confirms current leaflet and alert-card status with the sourcing partner before dispatch.
The paperwork above is the molecule-specific part; the general pathway a destination regulator expects is set out in our licensed import route guide.
CoA and MoA, per batch
Batch-specific certificate and method of analysis from the sourcing manufacturer's QC release.
CoPP, WHO-GMP, MFG licence
Certificate of pharmaceutical product and site GMP certification issued via CDSCO channels, naming the actual manufacturing site.
CTD Module 3
Chemistry, manufacturing and controls documentation available from the sourcing manufacturer for registration filings.
Pack insert, labels, artwork
Destination-language patient information and labelling to the local regulator's standard, locked before shipment.
Pharmacovigilance
A named PV contact arranged in the destination market where the registration requires one.
Adjacent lines procurement desks order alongside finasteride.
Alfuzosin
Another urology & nephrology line ordered on the same formularies.
Dutasteride
Another urology & nephrology line ordered on the same formularies.
Flavoxate
Another urology & nephrology line ordered on the same formularies.
All urology & nephrology
The full category listing for procurement desks.
Molecule · strength · volume · destination. One working day to a quote.
- Send us the specifics. Form and strength, pack preference, destination market and indicative volume for finasteride.
- We route to the right line. The enquiry goes to the WHO-GMP certified manufacturing partner whose certificates fit your regulator.
- Commercial and regulatory offer. FOB or CIF price with the documentation list, named manufacturing site and current certificate validity.
- Order, produce, release, ship. QC release on the Indian side, batch documents compiled, despatch on the agreed incoterm.
- After delivery. Batch records and certificates archived and retrievable for the life of the product on your shelf.
Finasteride supply, the specific questions.
What is the difference between Proscar and Propecia?
Both are finasteride, but at different strengths for different licensed indications. Proscar is 5 mg once daily for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Propecia is 1 mg once daily for male androgenetic alopecia. Neither strength is licensed for the other's indication, and a 5 mg tablet should not be split to approximate the 1 mg dose.
Does a generic version of Proscar or Propecia exist?
Yes, at both strengths. FDA- and MHRA-approved generic finasteride 1 mg and 5 mg tablets are registered and marketed in the US, UK and EU alongside the Merck originator brands. Registration status for generic finasteride varies by destination country, so M Care checks local approval before quoting brand or generic against a specific tender.
Can M Care supply Proscar or Propecia to our market?
Yes, on an import basis. We source Proscar and Propecia through Merck's licensed Indian distribution channels and dispatch against your import authorisation and any local registration your pharmacy, hospital or clinic holds.
Is finasteride on the WHO Essential Medicines List?
No. Finasteride does not appear on the current WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, and it has no AWaRe classification because it is not an antimicrobial. Tender desks source it through standard urology and dermatology formulary channels rather than an EML procurement route.
What are the current safety warnings for finasteride?
In May 2026 the MHRA strengthened its warnings on finasteride and dutasteride for depression, suicidal thoughts and sexual dysfunction, including sexual dysfunction that can persist after stopping treatment. This follows UK patient alert cards introduced in 2024 for both the 1 mg and 5 mg strengths. Prescribers are advised to ask about a history of depression or suicidal ideation before starting therapy and to monitor patients afterwards.
What handling precaution applies to finasteride tablets?
Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant must not handle crushed or broken finasteride tablets. Absorbed finasteride can cause abnormalities of the external genitalia of a male foetus, and the intact film coating is the barrier that protects against exposure during normal, unbroken handling.
Who stands behind this page, and where its statements come from.
Reviewed by Dr. Rajat Bhatt, PharmD, Managing Director, M Care Exports. Last reviewed 2026-09-25.
This page is sourcing information for licensed importers, hospital procurement and tender desks. It is not medical, pharmaceutical or prescribing advice, and it is not a substitute for the approved product information of the line on your order. See our full disclaimer.
Send the specifics. You'll have a price inside one working day.
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