Two new drugs, Lilly's Cialis (tadalafil) and Bayer's Vardenafil, may soon muscle their way into the male sexual dysfunction arena.

Like Viagra (sildenafil), all three drugs make it easier for a man with erectile dysfunction (ED) to have an erection after sexual stimulation. But, the new drugs seem to work faster, last longer and have fewer side effects. Here's what we know:

An erection occurs only when genital blood flow is diverted into the central spongy cylinders (corpora cavernosae) of a man's penis, an event that becomes more difficult in men as they age.

Sexual arousal triggers a surge in cyclic GMP, a natural penile blood flow activator that governs the vigor of a man's erection during intercourse. After orgasm— under the influence of an enzyme called phosphoediesterase-5 (PDE-5), cyclic GMP levels fall and a man's erection fades. Viagra, Cialis and Vardenafil are all PDE-5 inhibitors and work to bolster cyclic GMP levels so that a man can have a firmer, more rigid erection during sex. But, there is a difference between the drugs.

The developers of Cialis and Vardenafil have tinkered with the original molecule to come up with the next generation of erection enhancing drugs they believe offer advantages over Viagra.

Ease of Use: Viagra does not work well when taken with a big meal or after alcohol. Cialis works just as well with or without a meal and is effective even with moderate alcohol intake.

Onset of action: Patients taking Viagra are instructed to wait at least an hour before attempting to have sex. Cialis is effective within 15-20 minutes.

Duration of action: After one Viagra dose cyclic GMP levels remain elevated for several hours allowing a man to have sex that evening. The effect of Cialis and possibly Vardenafil seems to be more prolonged. After one dose of Cialis multiple episodes of sexual intercourse are possible.

Europeans have nicknamed Cialis "Le Weekend" and boast that one pill taken with wine and a hearty lunch on Friday is all a man needs to keep him sexually potent on Saturday and Sunday. But, for the mortal man a new pill each day he plans to have sex seems more realistic.

Side effects: Enzymes similar to PDE-5 react to PDE-6 inhibitors. For example, Viagra disrupts Phosphodiesterse 6 (PDE-6) a look— alike color vision enzyme causing blue vision in some Viagra-treated men. Cialis has been engineered to avoid PDE-6 and does not cause blue vision.

The new PDE-5 inhibitors strengthen erections by increasing penile blood flow, but also widen blood vessels elsewhere in the body causing a small percentage of men to experience headache, nasal congestion or upset stomach. Side effects become less common with continued drug use.

Conclusion: Viagra was not just the first pill for ED, but also made it easier for us to talk about sex. With Cialis and Vardenafil even more options will be open to men with ED once they receive FDA (news - web sites) approval. Other products are in development and there is significant progress in another long neglected little discussed problem, female sexual dysfunction

So, are these drugs available already in Europe? How about in Mexico?

Any idea when they will be available here?

Just
Curious

I found this on their website.


Bayer seeks FDA Approval for Erectile Dysfunction Drug Vardenafil
(WEST HAVEN, Conn)--Bayer Corporation today [September 26, 2001] submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) for vardenafil, an investigational compound for the improvement of erectile function, to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Simultaneously, Bayer submitted vardenafil for regulatory review in Mexico.

"Current estimates suggest more than half of all men over the age of 40 experience some level of erectile dysfunction," said Irwin Goldstein, M.D., professor of urology at Boston University School of Medicine and a vardenafil investigator. "Erectile dysfunction is a complex medical condition for which physicians and patients are in need of new treatment options."

Erectile dysfunction (ED) -- the inability to sustain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse -- is a medical condition that affects an estimated 30 million men in the U.S., but research shows only an estimated 11 percent are being treated. There are a number of causes for ED, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and medications such as antidepressants.

"The vardenafil NDA submission includes data from a variety of patient populations ranging from mild to the more difficult-to-treat patients, such as those with diabetes," said David R. Ebsworth, Ph.D., President and General Manager, Business Group Pharma, Bayer AG. "This milestone represents an impressive 47-month development period from the beginning of preclinical testing to NDA submission. Pending FDA approval, Bayer hopes to launch vardenafil in the second half of 2002."

A link to Liily's product Lilly's Cialis (tadalafil)

http://www.businesswire.com/cnn/icos.shtml

Another good info site.

http://bernie.house.gov/documents/articles/2001-07-24-WSJ-Rx_Drugs.asp

From NDA to market can take several years. US FDA clearence is often a requirement for other countries to grant marketing approval.

Shady: Thanks for the links, but I had already read all of those and several more. None actually seem to say exactly when these products will be available. A couple of newspaper articles suggest sometime in 2002, but nothing specific.

Cialis is especially interesting to me because I am diabetic, and several reports suggest this drug is more helpful to diabetics than Viagra.

SOme of the sites I found with information seemed to suggest that this may well already be available in certain other countries, but they were in languages I could not understand, so...

Anyway, guess I'll just have to wait and see how soon they hit the market.

Curious: Did you go to the web site for the drug? This should give you any country where the drug is sold. I will scout and see what I can find.

694ME and others, thanks for posting all this good info.

Cool: for old men like me it sounds like a weekend pass as a twenty-year-old!

What will they think of next! Time to stock up on Wrigley stock! lol
I know they give shareholders free gum every year,,,wouldn't it be great to get a free sample of V-gum!
http://www.msnbc.com/news/925783.asp

Black-Widow Spiders May Improve Sex Life -- Chileans

Wed Jul 9, 3:43 PM ET By Patrick Nixon

TEMUCO, Chile (Reuters) - Chilean researchers said on Wednesday they aimed to develop a new pill to combat impotence that would have the added bonus of being a male contraceptive, based on experiments with the venom of black-widow spiders.

The spider, famed for the female's tendency to eat her mate after sex, makes a poison that can produce muscular seizure, acceleration of the heart and even death.

The scientists, working at University La Frontera in the southern Chilean city of Temuco, have been studying the effects of the venom's various properties for the past seven years. By isolating these elements, they could reproduce them synthetically in drugs to strengthen weak hearts and help men with erectile dysfunction.

Last November, they discovered by accident that one ingredient in spider venom could not only facilitate male erection in a way similar to the popular Viagra pill, but also render sperm infertile.


Link/URL.... http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=570&u=/nm/20030709/sc_nm/chile_science_dc&printer=1

Are either of these new ones available in the Tijuana farmacias? Just curious...after a freaking year-plus away from the Zona I am hoping to make a return sometime this year.