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Scientists Support Daily Use of PDE-5 Inhibitors

March 18, 2008

-International Journal of Impotence Research –

Expert review of the clinical backgrounds and potential benefits of the daily use of PDE-5 inhibitors, such as Viagra, Levitra and Cialis, has been published in the March issue of the International Journal of Impotence Research. Below are some of the key aspects of the observed medical issue.

Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is a prevalent health disorder, which affects about 18 million people in the USA. The inability to achieve or maintain erection negatively affects not only the lives of men, but it spoils the life quality of their partners too. Significant improvements in the field of ED treatment were achieved with the appearance of PDE-5 inhibitors, such as Viagra, Levitra and Cialis, which are commonly used on demand. A lot of patients have been successfully treated with those medications; however, there are still many patients, who do not respond well or are contraindicated for the treatment with oral PDE-5 pills on the “on-demand” basis.

Recently, the interest of scientists to the idea of continuous use of PDE-5 inhibitors has begun to grow up. The regimen, when low-dose PDE-5 pills are taken daily instead of taking a full-strength pill 30 minutes before the expected sexual activity, seems to bring new advantages for the patients in regard to health benefits and convenience.

The authors of the review mention several animal studies, proving that the daily administration of PDE-5 inhibitors can lead to improvements of the physiological functioning of the erectile tissues. One of the studies showed that the intracavernosal pressure (which is responsible for penis erection) in rats treated daily with sildenafil (the active ingredient of Viagra) was much better in comparison to animals in the control group.

Another clinical study showed that daily administration of another PDE-5 inhibitor vardenafil (Levitra) can potentially improve smooth muscles content and functioning even in the animals with the injured penile nerves. It is interesting to note that this study also found that vardenafil increased cell replication of the smooth muscle; in other words, the medication helped the organism to regenerate cells of the smooth muscles after injury damages.

The review also mentions several clinical studies, showing the health benefits of the scheduled use of PDE-5 inhibitors in people, suffering from erectile dysfunction. Thus, scientists say that ED appeared after prostate removing surgery can be successfully treated with the daily administration of PDE-5 inhibitors.

One study showed that patients treated daily with sildenafil (Viagra) for 6 months achieved even better improvements of sexual functioning than those taking the same medication on demand. It is also interesting to note that for some patients daily administration of PDE-5 inhibitors was even more effective that shifting from one medication to another.

Another study, mentioned in the review, compared tadalafil (Cialis) 20 mg of on-demand therapy with 10 mg daily. The patients with daily dosing had better International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) scores and 15% more people were able to successfully have intercourse with their partners in comparison to the patients, who took tadalafil pills on-demand.

Finally, it should be mentioned that currently we already have one PDE-5 inhibitor officially approved for daily use. On January 8, 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Cialis tablets (2.5 mg or 5 mg doses) for once daily use. The benefits of such regimen are obvious – lower and stable doses of the medication provide lower rates of side effects. Besides, when the pills are taken daily, a person can have sex anytime he and his partner wants to without bothering of taking a pill before the intercourse.

Nick

External resources
http://newsroom.lilly.com/releaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=285378
http://www.nature.com/ijir/journal/v20/n2/full/3901631a.html