offline
The race to replace Viagra
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019...lis-eroxon
Viagra 2.0
In the early 2000s, scientists at Futura Medical, a pharmaceutical company in Surrey, came across stories
of a heart disease medication that appeared to accidentally induce erections.
“There were some anecdotal reports of people deliberately spraying this product on to their penises,”
says Ken James, head of research and development at Futura. “These observations had been reported
in the scientific literature, and the company thought there might be a commercial opportunity.”
The reported effects were due to a particular molecule known as glyceryl trinitrate or GTN, which causes
the dilation of blood vessels in the penis, increasing blood flow. But the reason why Futura were so
intrigued was because, while Viagra, Cialis and other drugs have to be taken orally – meaning they reach
the target area via the bloodstream and so interact with other systems in the body – GTN could be rapidly
absorbed into erectile tissue through the skin. This meant that it could potentially be applied directly as part
of a gel or cream, with almost instantaneous results and none of the troublesome side effects associated with Viagra.
“Viagra and Cialis are quite effective drugs but 50% of people stop using them within a year,”
says James. “60-70% of people have some degree of dissatisfaction with them.
This shows there’s an opportunity if we can come to market with something that addresses
many of those concerns.”
Over the past decade, Futura have developed a GTN-based gel called Eroxon which appears to be capable
of inducing an erection in patients with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction in five to 10 minutes.
Already dubbed the new Viagra by some, it seems to have the potential to be the first genuinely
novel treatment for erectile dysfunction in two decades, and Futura have even tentatively placed its
potential commercial value at $1bn.
After investors showed a renewed interest in backing novel treatments for erectile dysfunction,
Futura completed a clinical trial of 232 patients last year, and have now embarked on a final phase III
trial of 1,000 patients to be completed by the end of 2019.
If this succeeds, Eroxon could become available clinically within the next couple of years, although urologists remain cautious.
“The biggest question from that phase III trial will be how they compare in clinical efficacy to Viagra,”
says Soni. “In the past, we’ve seen that it’s difficult to get similar efficacy with topical administration,
but at the same time, our understanding of how drugs can be absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream
has massively improved.”
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019...lis-eroxon
Viagra 2.0
In the early 2000s, scientists at Futura Medical, a pharmaceutical company in Surrey, came across stories
of a heart disease medication that appeared to accidentally induce erections.
“There were some anecdotal reports of people deliberately spraying this product on to their penises,”
says Ken James, head of research and development at Futura. “These observations had been reported
in the scientific literature, and the company thought there might be a commercial opportunity.”
The reported effects were due to a particular molecule known as glyceryl trinitrate or GTN, which causes
the dilation of blood vessels in the penis, increasing blood flow. But the reason why Futura were so
intrigued was because, while Viagra, Cialis and other drugs have to be taken orally – meaning they reach
the target area via the bloodstream and so interact with other systems in the body – GTN could be rapidly
absorbed into erectile tissue through the skin. This meant that it could potentially be applied directly as part
of a gel or cream, with almost instantaneous results and none of the troublesome side effects associated with Viagra.
“Viagra and Cialis are quite effective drugs but 50% of people stop using them within a year,”
says James. “60-70% of people have some degree of dissatisfaction with them.
This shows there’s an opportunity if we can come to market with something that addresses
many of those concerns.”
Over the past decade, Futura have developed a GTN-based gel called Eroxon which appears to be capable
of inducing an erection in patients with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction in five to 10 minutes.
Already dubbed the new Viagra by some, it seems to have the potential to be the first genuinely
novel treatment for erectile dysfunction in two decades, and Futura have even tentatively placed its
potential commercial value at $1bn.
After investors showed a renewed interest in backing novel treatments for erectile dysfunction,
Futura completed a clinical trial of 232 patients last year, and have now embarked on a final phase III
trial of 1,000 patients to be completed by the end of 2019.
If this succeeds, Eroxon could become available clinically within the next couple of years, although urologists remain cautious.
“The biggest question from that phase III trial will be how they compare in clinical efficacy to Viagra,”
says Soni. “In the past, we’ve seen that it’s difficult to get similar efficacy with topical administration,
but at the same time, our understanding of how drugs can be absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream
has massively improved.”
