Allergan Inc., the global specialty pharmaceutical company that produces Botox, announced on Friday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the release of its eyelash-thickening drug Latisse.

The medicine was conceived in order to treat a condition known as hypotrichosis of the eyelashes, in which the patient has thin and few eyelashes, while the active ingredient in Latisse is bimatroprost, the same ingredient that is included in Allergan’s glaucoma treatment Lumigan.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that patients taking Lumigan discovered that one of the medicine’s side effects was sudden eyelash growth.

Latisse is a once-a-day prescription treatment that a patient spreads over the base of the upper eyelash with the help of a sanitary, not reusable applicator that must be used only once per eye. However, if the treatment is brought to a standstill, eyelashes will increasingly return to their initial condition.

Allergan explained that it expected global peak sales of Latisse solution to reach $500 million a year.

Latisse represents a structural prostaglandin analog, which is a lipid mix originated from fatty acids that usually facilitate the blending of prostaglandin receptors. The receptors can be found in hair and are believed to play an important role in the growth and regrowth of the hair follicle.

Among the side effects produced by Latisse are eye redness, irritated eyes, as well as a darkening of the eyelid skin. In spite of the fact that it was not specified in clinical studies, Allergan said that Latisse may also have an influence on the colored part of the eye.

Allergan announced that its product is scheduled to be made available during the first quarter of 2009.