Levitra vs. Viagra in new 'Battle of the Bulge'
Levitra vs. Viagra in new 'Battle of the Bulge'
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Pharmaceutical companies Bayer Healthcare Indonesia and
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Indonesia have recently introduced their
erectile dysfunction (ED) drug, Levitra (vardenafil HCl), to the
Indonesian market as an alternative to Viagra.
"We are ready to fulfill the various needs of ED patients with
new and better medication and lower doses," Dr Hady Syarif, Bayer
Healthcare Indonesia's marketing manager, said at a media
conference.
Viagra (sildenafil citrate), produced by Pfizer Inc., was the
first oral therapy drug to be released to help men with ED. Other
Phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors are Levitra and Cialis.
While all three are available in Europe, only Viagra and Levitra
are currently available in the United States.
GlaxoSmithKline Indonesia's Dr. Ping Ping Hartono claims that
in a comparative study with other products, "Levitra proved to
improve erection by up to 72 percent with only a dose of 20
milligrams, compared with others that only achieved 56 percent or
64 percent using the same dose or higher."
Furthermore, Bayer Indonesia general manager Thomas Runkel
promises that Levitra will be available at a price 20 percent
lower than the price of other PDE-5 inhibitors at hospitals and
drug stores.
Erectile dysfunction, also known as impotence, is defined as
the inability of a man to achieve or to maintain an erection
sufficiently for satisfactory sexual performance.
This can mean the inability to achieve an erection, an
inconsistent ability to do so, or the ability to achieve only
brief erections. It is a common health condition among men that
largely goes by untreated.
The Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS) reported a
prevalence of 52 percent of ED cases in men aged 40 to 70 years
old, with the incidence increasing with age. Despite this, ED is
not an inevitable consequence of aging, according to
www.urologychannel.com.
A study on ED published in 1999 by BJU International, the
official journal of the British Association of Urological
Surgeons, projected that 322 million men worldwide will be
suffering from ED by 2025.
While data on the prevalence of ED in Asia is limited, a
recent study in Thailand reported a rate of 37.5 percent
prevalence among men 40 to 70 years old, and in Singapore, 51.3
percent among men 30 to 70 years old, the Singapore Medical
Journal reported in January.
Most men experience ED at some point in their lives and are
not psychologically affected by it, but for others, it can be
debilitating. Frequent erectile dysfunction can cause emotional
and relationship problems, and often leads to diminished self-
esteem.
ED can be caused by a number of things. Diseases such as
diabetes, kidney ailments and alcoholism account for as many as
70 percent of chronic ED cases, reports the urologychannel, while
stress, anxiety and depression may account for 10 to 20 percent
of cases.
Premature ejaculation, a condition when orgasm comes on too
quickly -- usually caused by psychological factors -- and
infertility are not the same as ED. A man who is unable to
maintain an erection may be very capable of producing sperm that
could fertilize an egg, while an infertile man is usually able to
maintain an erection, but is unable to father a child.
The treatment of ED can take many forms in Indonesia, not the
least of which is the lemah syahwat, or weak orgasm, treatment by
various dukun, or medicine men, and traditional Chinese
herbalists.
Before drugs like Viagra and Levitra, ED was treated with
injections directly into the penis or with penile implants. Now
these unpleasant and invasive treatments are no longer necessary.
Levitra, which was approved by the Food and Drug Monitoring
Agency (BPOM) in July, works by increasing the blood flow to the
penis to improve erectile function.
For many ED patients, the initial dose is 10 mg taken 25 to 60
minutes before sexual activity. For men above 65 years old, the
initial dose should be 5 mg.
Levitra has also clinically shown to improve erectile
function, even in men who have other health conditions that may
affect erectile function, such as diabetes or prostate surgery,
Bayer said in a statement.
It should be noted, though, that Levitra does not cure ED.
"You take Levitra right before you have sex. Within an hour or
so, you are better able to get an erection, and the effect wears
off a few hours afterwards," the company said on www.levitra.com.
"Levitra won't cause an embarrassing, instant erection. For
most men, Levitra did not cause an erection for longer than they
were sexually stimulated."
It is not an aphrodisiac, either, so will not increase libido.
"People who take Levitra are surprised that it doesn't make
them feel any different until they receive some sexual
stimulation. Then they notice the difference," said the website.
Runkel said, "People should be able to openly talk about
Erectile Dysfunction, and ED patients need much support and
motivation from partners to seek medical help. We are optimistic
that our partnership with GSK will give better education to
doctors and patients in dealing with this."
Levitra Quick Info:
What: Levitra is an oral prescription medication approved by BPOM
and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of
erectile dysfunction (ED). It is available in 5 mg, 10 mg and 20
mg tablets and is taken only when needed, and no more than once a
day.
Side effects: The most common side effects are headaches,
flushing and a stuffy or runny nose. Less common side effects are
priapism, or an erection that will not go away, and vision
changes. Seek immediate medical help if any of these conditions
arise.
Do not take Levitra if you:
* Take any form of nitrate medication, used to relieve chest
pains caused by heart disease
* Take alpha-blockers, which are sometimes prescribed for
prostate problems or high blood pressure
* Your doctor determines that sexual activity poses a health risk
for you
* You have a known sensitivity or allergy to any component of
Levitra
Source: www.levitra.com