Meanwhile, several other noninvasive treatments that have been in major clinical trials may be more attractive to the 90% of men who aren't being treated:
* A drop of prostaglandin cream applied directly to the opening of the penis dilates local blood vessels in just five to 15 minutes. The cream contains alprostadil, used for years in penile injections. NexMed Inc. of Robbinsville, N.J., plans to seek FDA approval in late 2004, said James L. Yeager, senior vice president of scientific affairs. The drug has no major side effects, other than initial burning, stinging or tingling that bothered about 3% of the men who tested it; unlike Viagra, Levitra and Cialis, it doesn't interact with nitrates and alpha blockers.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday September 04, 2003 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 36 words Type of Material: Correction
Impotence drugs -- In a story on impotence treatments in Monday's Health section, the name of an alpha blocker drug that should not be taken with some impotence pills was misspelled. It is Hytrin, not Hydrin.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday September 05, 2003 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 3 inches; 122 words Type of Material: Correction
Impotence treatments -- An article in Monday's Health section about treatments for impotence said that a new drug, Levitra, could be effective as quickly as 20 minutes after it was taken, compared with about 40 minutes for Viagra. However, that comparison was misleading because the figure for Viagra was an average. The quickest that the drugs have worked, according to manufacturer-sponsored studies, is 16 minutes for Levitra and 14 minutes for Viagra. Urologists say that both drugs generally are effective in 30 to 60 minutes. The article also said that although Viagra could not be taken with fatty foods, there were no similar restrictions for Levitra. Levitra can be taken with meals, but very high-fat meals might affect its effectiveness as well.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Monday September 08, 2003 Home Edition Health Part F Page 10 Features Desk 4 inches; 147 words Type of Material: Correction
Impotence treatments -- A story in last Monday's Health section about treatments for impotence said that a new drug, Levitra, can be effective as quickly as 20 minutes after it is taken, compared with about 40 minutes for Viagra.
However, that comparison is misleading because the figure for Viagra is an average. The quickest the drugs have worked, according to manufacturer-sponsored studies, is 16 minutes for Levitra and 14 minutes for Viagra. Urologists say that both drugs generally are effective within 30 to 60 minutes.
The story also said that although Viagra cannot be taken with fatty foods, there are no similar restrictions for Levitra. Levitra can be taken with meals, but very high-fat meals might affect its effectiveness as well.
The story also misspelled the name of a hypertension drug that should not be taken with some impotence pills. The correct spelling is Hytrin, not Hydrin.
* A nasal spray, called PT141, made by Palatin Technologies Inc. in Cranbury, N.J., works through the brain, stimulating sexual arousal. A sniff of the spray is taken about 30 minutes before sexual activity.
* A pill containing apomorphine hydrochloride, from TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc., available in many countries as Uprima, awaits FDA approval. The pill dissolves under the tongue, bypassing the digestive system, blocking the release of the adrenaline that gets in the way of sexual arousal. It generally takes effect within 10 to 20 minutes, but it has side effects such as nausea.
Rajfer said the marketing of additional treatments would further reduce the stigma of erectile dysfunction.
"What having all these options and choices does is bring men out of the woodwork ... who ordinarily would not have come out and complained to their physicians that they have this problem," he said.
