Study: Impotence sufferers want fast drug results

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Fast, rather than long-lasting results are more important for many men using anti-impotence treatments and Levitra, a new rival to Viagra, can work in just 10 minutes, researchers said Monday.

The drug made by GlaxoSmithKline Plc produced results in 10 minutes in some men and worked within 25 minutes for most participants in a study of 724 impotence sufferers in Europe and North America.

"It is a very, very fast acting drug,” said Professor Francesco Montorsi, a professor of urology at the Universita Vita Salute San Raffaele, in Milan Italy, lead author of the study.

“Ten minutes is very short. The drug is given by mouth and it takes time for absorption,” he added.

Montorsi, who will present his findings at the 7th Congress of the European Federation of Sexology in Brighton, southern England, next week, said the drug was also well tolerated and safe.

In a separate study of 2,912 men, which will also be reported at the meeting, most 20-75 year olds interviewed in Britain, the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Brazil preferred speed to duration in an anti-impotence treatment.

But Montorsi said it is a very individual choice. In his clinical practice he found that some patients liked the idea of taking a pill in the morning and knowing it will be effective later in the day or evening.

“Every single patient should be informed about all the options available,” Montorsi, whose study was funded by the drug’s maker, added in an interview. “The doctors should be well informed about efficacy, safety and tolerability issues of all of the drugs and provide the information to the patient to let them choose.”

Impotence, or erectile dysfunction (ED), affects about 152 million men worldwide. It is estimated that half of all men over 40 experience some degree of ED, which increases with age. Although 95 percent of cases can be successfully treated, only about 15-20 percent of sufferers seek help. Like Pfizer Inc.’s Viagra, the first anti-impotence pill to hit the market, and Eli Lilly & Co.’s and Icos Corp.’s Cialis, Levitra works by increasing blood flow to the penis.

Cialis is effective for up to 36 hours and has been dubbed “le weekend pill” in Europe. Viagra, the market leader, lasts for about five hours.

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