Source: DGNews  |  Posted 3 years ago

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- August 26, 2008 -- Vardenafil is more efficacious when used on-demand versus nightly in men with erectile dysfunction following bilateral nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (NSRP), according to a study published in the October issue of European Urology.

The multicentre study recruited patients 1 month before they were scheduled to undergo NSRP, between December 2004 and September 2007. A total of 423 patients completed the study.

The inclusion of the on-demand dosing regimen enabled comparison of the currently recommended guidelines for the use of phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors with a proposed nightly dosing regimen, which was suggested to have potential positive effects on erectile function.

The results of the study showed that on-demand use of vardenafil during the treatment period was associated with significantly greater erectile function and sexual intercourse completion rates compared with placebo.

The success rates for the vardenafil on-demand group were also higher than for the nightly group. These data indicate that the use of on-demand vardenafil is of greater benefit than nightly treatment in patients following NSRP surgery and, in general, support the on-demand use of PDE5 inhibitors following NSRP surgery over a daily dosing regimen.

According to the authors, this prompts reconsideration of the current practice of prescribing nightly PDE5-inhibitor therapy, as on-demand use of vardenafil is equally effective in men with ED following NSRP, a notoriously difficult-to-treat patient population.

SOURCE: Elsevier