Firms Say Their Drug Outlasts Viagra
A yet-to-be-approved impotence drug developed by Eli Lilly & Co. and Icos Corp. appears to be longer-lasting than Viagra, the companies said, citing a study released at a medical conference Monday.
Patients in the study reported success in achieving erections over 24 to 36 hours after taking a 20-milligram pill of Cialis, said Indianapolis-based Lilly and Bothell, Wash.-based Icos on Saturday.
The study did not compare Cialis’ effects directly with those of Viagra, the $1.2 billion-a-year drug for erectile dysfunction Pfizer Inc. introduced in 1998.
“There are other studies that have looked at the length of the duration of Viagra’s effects, and usually it’s in the eight-to-12-hour range maximum,” Dr. Raymond Rosen, the author of the Cialis study, said in a phone interview.
Results of the peer-reviewed, final-phase study were released at the American Urological Assn. conference in Orlando, Fla.
The study, funded by Lilly and Icos, involved 348 men with mild to severe erectile dysfunction who were given either a placebo or Cialis over eight weeks.
Patients were asked to attempt intercourse with their partners on two occasions 24 hours after taking a dose and on two occasions after 36 hours.
About 59% of the patients reported positive effects in their ability to have sex after 36 hours.
Cialis “showed a consistent effect at both time points,” said Rosen, a human sexuality researcher at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and a psychologist. “Also, in this study, the duration of effectiveness did not appear to influence the incidence or severity or side effects.”
The most commonly reported side effects include headaches and upset stomachs, with less than 2% of patients dropping out of the study because of side effects.
Dr. Gerald Brock, an associate professor of urology at the University of West Ontario, said the findings that Cialis’ effects are longer-lasting than Viagra’s are significant because many patients report that the window during which Viagra is effective hinders their sex life.
Lilly and Icos had hoped to win marketing approval this year. But that has been pushed back to next year after the Food and Drug Administration last month said it would require additional studies before deciding on approval.
