RU was developed in the 90's and its not new but the reason why it is not available is because its for male pattern baldness only and male pattern baldness is by far not a priority for pharma firms..if you haven't yet noticed
Even CB - basically similar to RU, has been developed like 15 years ago and still is under study..! male pattern baldness is not a high priority, firms don't get much funding .
CB got funding and grants because of the acne treatment potential of the same molecule thats why its faster and why Winlevi will be out much sooner than Breezula.
I used Flutamide topical myself for a year back in 2008 there was product called flutagel.
The side effects of flutamide were erections issues and low libido but it worked for hair. Not a long term solution for maintenance and quality of life.
Then I switched to RU - got none of the side effects and the effect on hair were even better because I could use more RU whenever I needed and still not get side effects.
Best drug ever, and I spent 6 years on finasteride and 4 on dutasteride