ALPROSTADIL FOR ERECTILE IMPOTENCE

摘要

A preparation of alprostadil (prostaglandin E_1) plus syringe and diluent (Caverject - Upjohn) has recently been licensed in the UK for the treatment of erectile impotence by injection into the corpus cavemosum. How does it compare with papaverine, which, though unlicensed for this indication, has been the mainstay of drug treatment for impotence? About 5% of 40-year-old men, and 15% of those aged 70, have persistent erectile impotence (the inability to achieve an erection satisfactory for sexual intercourse). Itcan be psycho-genie in origin, but more commonly it has an organic cause. Erectile impotence is particularly common in diabetic men, affecting at least half of those aged over 50.