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There’s no new epidemic of hair loss, but there is an epidemic of men and women wanting to halt their receding hairlines. In particular, young men who have come of age in the realm of the manosphere surrounded by influencers are wanting to try various treatments in the hope of regaining a full head of hair. It is not just a matter of trying to keep their younger selves as long as they can, it is often a self-esteem issue. Losing one’s hair seems no longer inevitable, becoming bald feels like a choice- a conscious decision.

In 2011 Melbourne University Professor of Dermatology filed an Australian patent for low dose oral minoxidil for androgenetic alopecia. This was followed in 2015 by international patents for treating specific forms of hair loss, and finally in 2017 for a modified release sublingual minoxidil tablet for all forms of hair loss.  In 2019, a company associated with Professor Rod Sinclair released The Hairy Pill (registered trademark). We are pleased to invite Professor Sinclair and Ms Jenny Petering (trademark attorney) to discuss how these treatments have been created a multi-billion dollar global industry and the challenges Australian innovators have in developing and hanging onto their intellectual property.

Professor Rod Sinclair

Professor Rod Sinclair is co-founder and Past President of the Australasian Society for Dermatology Research (ASDR), co-founder and current President of the Australasian Hair and Wool Society (AHWRS) and Past President of the Skin and Cancer Foundation of Victoria. He is Vice President of the International Society of Dermatology and Executive Vice President of the International Academy of Cosmetic Dermatology. He is a Professorial Fellow in the Department of Medicine at Melbourne University. He has co-authored the section on Dermatology in the Oxford Textbook of Medicine, chapters on hair disorders in Rook’s Textbook of Dermatology and Bologna’s text Dermatology Essentials. He is a Dermatology expert group member for the Therapeutic Guidelines in Australia. Professor Sinclair is considered a world leader in the treatment of, and clinical research in, hair and skin conditions and diseases.

Ms Jenny Petering

Ms Jenny Petering is a patent and trademark attorney. Jenny is one of the leading practitioners in the Australian biotechnology space. She has extensive experience in managing international patent portfolios, including strategic planning, due diligence, infringement and patentability advice, and coordinating opposition proceedings. Jenny is regularly singled out by industry reviews of the world’s leading patent prosecutors for both for her exceptional technical ability and her commitment to clients. She has been recognised as an IP Star for patent prosecution by Managing Intellectual Property 2019-2022 and as a Notable Practitioner in 2025. She has been endorsed in the IAM Prosecution recommended list each year since 2018. Jenny has also been recognised in the IAM Strategy 300 list from 2021-2025; and in the IAM Global Leader’s list 2024- 2025.