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