Drug improves erectile function in men with spinal cord injuries

Tadalafil (Cialis) appears to improve erectile function in men with spinal cord injuries, according to a French study published in the online edition of Archives of Neurology.

Researchers at Raymond Poincare Hospital, Garches, conducted a randomized, double-blind study of tadalafil in 197 men with spinal cord injuries (average age, 38 years). After a 4-week period during which none of the men received treatment, 142 were randomly assigned to tadalafil and 44 to placebo. During the 12-week treatment phase, the patients were instructed to take the medication as needed before the potential for sexual activity, with a maximum of one dose daily. Men taking tadalafil were given a 10-mg dose and were evaluated every 4 weeks, at which time they were switched to a 20-mg dose based on their response to the treatment.

At the beginning of the study, the men’s average score on the International Index of Erectile Function was 13.4. After 12 weeks of treatment, men taking tadalafil had an average score of 22.6, and men taking placebo had an average score of 13.6. Men taking tadalafil were, on average, successful 75.4% of the times they attempted penetration and 47.6% of the times they attempted intercourse, compared with a 41.1% success rate for penetration and 16.8% for intercourse among men taking placebo.

The drug was safe and well tolerated with few treatment-emergent side effects, according to the authors, led by François Giuliano, MD, PhD.

Funding for the study was provided by Lilly ICOS.