Vardenafil works when sildenafil fails
The erectile dysfunction drug vardenafil (Levitra) is effective in men who have been previously unresponsive to sildenafil (Viagra), a study has shown.
Researchers from the Vardenafil Study Group randomised 463 men with moderate
to severe erectile dysfunction who had not responded to sildenafil to
receive either placebo or vardenafil. Patients were initially given 10mg
vardenafil for four weeks with the option to titrate up (to 20mg) or
down (to 5mg) after each of two consecutive four-week intervals.
After 12 weeks, patients in the vardenafil group reported a 62 per cent
general improvement in erectile function compared with 15 per cent in
the placebo group (P<0.001). The efficacy of vardenafil was also assessed
using sexual encounter profile scores. Vardenafil resulted in an improvement
in penetration rates from 29 per cent at baseline to 62 per cent after
12 weeks (compared with 32 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively, in
the placebo group). Improvement was also seen in the length of time the
erection lasted: in the vardenafil group, intercourse was completed in
10 per cent at baseline and 46 per cent at 12 weeks (compared with 12
per cent and 16 per cent, respectively, in the placebo group).
The study, funded by GSK/Bayer, was presented at the Sexual Medicine
Society of North America congress in Denver on 11 October.
A spokeswoman for Pfizer commented: “A head-to-head comparative
trial using a rigorous clinical design is the only way to secure comparative
data that is scientifically sound. As this trial was not designed to
compare one treatment with another, it is not possible to say that either
treatment is more effective than the other.” |
