Drug Therapy

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A supplemental new drug application has been filed with the FDA to support the use of levofloxacin (Levaquin) tablets for a 5-day, 750 mg once-daily regimen for the treatment of adults with mild, moderate, and severe complicated urinary tract infections and acute pyelonephritis.

Bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with interferon alfa-2a (Roferon-A) therapy in patients with first-line metastatic renal cell carcinoma appears to significantly improve progression-free survival compared with interferon alfa-2a therapy alone, according to recent findings from an unpublished interim analysis of phase III data.

Men taking statins to lower their cholesterol are not at increased risk for developing prostate cancer, according to an ongoing multicenter, prospective cohort study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2006; 98:1819-25).

New York-Men bothered by overactive bladder and prostate enlargement symptoms who are treated simultaneously with the anticholinergic drug tolterodine tartrate extended-release capsules (Detrol LA) and the alpha-blocker tamsulosin (Flomax) report better symptom control and quality of life than do men treated with either one of the medications or placebo, according to a recently published study (JAMA 2006; 296:2319-28).

Chicago-Although chemotherapy reigns supreme as the most effective systemic therapy to treat advanced prostate cancer, it is being contested with the rapid emergence and development of novel agents that are showing great promise in targeting pathways of cancer without causing damage to normal cells. However, it doesn't appear that chemotherapy will be relegated to the history books any time soon. Even if targeted therapies prove to be all they promise they may be, chemotherapy may still be essential.

Men with overactive bladder and lower urinary tract symptoms who receive combination therapy are more likely to report improvement in symptoms than those who receive only one medication, according to results of a study recently reported in JAMA (2006; 296:2319-28).

Vardenafil (Levitra) appears to be effective at first dose, with continued success in treating erectile dysfunction in men with associated medical conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, the authors of a Canadian study report.

Topiramate (Topamax), a drug commonly prescribed to treat seizures and migraines, can increase the propensity for calcium phosphate kidney stones, according to a study by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Men with overactive bladder and lower urinary tract symptoms who receive combination therapy are more likely to report improvement in symptoms than those who receive only one medication, according to results of a study recently reported in JAMA (2006; 296:2319-28).

An investigational injectable enzyme known as AA4500 appears to be effective and generally well tolerated in treating patients with Peyronie's disease, according to data from two phase II open-label trials presented at the recent AUA Western Section annual meeting in Maui, HI.

Timm Medical said the FDA has allowed the company to extend the labeling of its Osbon ErecAid device for use in creating and maintaining erections by providing arterial blood to the penis during recovery from radical prostatectomy.

An investigational injectable enzyme known as AA4500 appears to be effective and generally well tolerated in treating patients with Peyronie's disease, according to data from two phase II open-label trials presented at the recent AUA Western Section annual meeting in Maui, HI.

New explanatory analyses of a phase III study support earlier results observed with treatment using the investigational active cellular immunotherapy sipuleucel-T (Provenge) in men with advanced androgen-independent prostate cancer, researchers reported at the Prostate Cancer Foundation's annual scientific retreat in Scottsdale, AZ.

Cleveland-Intravenous ketorolac tromethamine is safe and appears to be effective at alleviating pain following percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) procedures in properly selected patients, according to a study from the Methodist Hospital Institute for Kidney Stone Disease and Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis.

Cleveland-Dean G. Assimos, MD, professor of urology at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, asked a simple question here at the World Congress of Endourology: "Is the Internet a reliable source of information for dietary recommendations for stone formers?"

Cleveland-Urologists at Emory University, Atlanta, may or may not have slain an urban myth, but at the very least, the team has given it a sound kick. Cola in moderation does not change urine chemistries significantly, and therefore does not appear to raise the risk of forming stones, the team concluded after comparing cola to deionized water in a randomized, prospective pilot study.

Cleveland-Intravenous ketorolac tromethamine is safe and appears to be effective at alleviating pain following percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) procedures in properly selected patients, according to a study from the Methodist Hospital Institute for Kidney Stone Disease and Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis.