Drugs in preclinical to phase II clinical development for the treatment of erectile dysfunction

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Erectile function is an important aspect in the quality of life of many men. For men with erectile dysfunction (ED), a spectrum of treatment options exists. Novel therapies for ED are currently being developed in order to delay surgical placement of a penile prosthesis – the final step in the management of treatment-refractory ED.

Areas covered: This review examines innovative treatments such as alternative vasoactive agents, trophic factors and bio-compounds as well as gene and stem cell therapy. All therapies are currently in some phase of development for the management of ED. Using the MedLine and FDA Clinical Trials Registry, recent developments in treatment of ED were queried.

Expert opinion: Recent studies have demonstrated the potential for multiple, novel therapies in the treatment of ED. Much of the work requires further experimentation in large-scale, blinded, placebo-controlled studies. This will require a concerted effort to bring these products to market.

KEYWORDS:

• PDE-5i
• gene therapy
• stem cells
• trophic factors

Article highlights

• A wide spectrum of erectile dysfunction treatment exists ranging from pharmacological to surgical intervention.

• Phosphodiesterase inhibitors represent an excellent first step in therapy but not all men respond. Side-effects, adherence and cost all act as significant barriers to usage.

• Vasoactive therapies, trophic factors and biocompounds all hold some promise in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

• Gene and stem cell therapy hold the most promise; however, future therapy must still seek to be cost effective as well as efficacious.

This box summarizes key points contained in the article.

Declaration of interest

J. Kovac is currently a speaker for AbbVie. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.