A new erectile dysfunction medication has hit the stands. The FDA recently approved Stendra, a creation from Vivus Inc.. The company claims this new medication starts to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) within 15 minutes of taking it.
More Options
Stendra joins a competitive ED market. Viagra, Cialis and Staxyn have been on the market for years, however, experts say another options is always beneficial to patients.
“This approval expands the available treatment options to men experiencing erectile dysfunction, and enables patients, in consultation with their doctor, to choose the most appropriate treatment for their needs,” Victoria Kusiak, MD, deputy director of the Office of Drug Evaluation III in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research said in a press release.
According to statistics from the FDA, 30 million men suffer from ED. Many men seek help from a doctor and often times an oral medication can be prescribed to help a man get and maintain an erection long enough to enjoy sex.
“This is potentially the fastest acting of the four,” Dr. Wayne Hellstrom, professor of urology at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, told Reuters. Patients taking Stendra are recommended to take the drug 30 minutes before sexual activity but clinical trials have shown the drug works as fast as 15 minutes. Viagra may take an hour to start working, Reuters reported.
Tested and Approved
In clinical trials, 77% of men with general ED were able to get erections after taking Stendra, compared to 54% of men taking an inactive placebo pill.
Side effects include headache, flushing, stuffy nose and back pain; all of which are common in other erectile dysfunction medications. As with all medications used to treat ED, Stendra should not be taken with nitrate medications. The combination of these medications can lead to a dangerous drop in blood pressure.
