Treatments category

New Treatment for Priapism Developed

Posted: Thursday, 5 November, 2009 | Categories: Erectile Dysfunction, New Treatments, Priapism

Long-lasting erections, or priapism, is often a cause for laughter and mocking but in actually can be an extremely painful and debilitating condition. While the cause of erections that last for over 4 hours is unknown, U.S researchers believe that they may have discovered a treatment.
Biochemists at the Medical School at the University of Texas have reported that in a pre-clinical study, the drug polyethylene glycol-linked adenosine deaminase helped to relieve symptoms of priapism and prevented patients from developing major complications. PEG-ADA has already been approved for human use by the FDA and is used to treat immune deficiencies.
The condition affects 40% of men with sickle cell anemia and is also associated with diabetes. Occasionally it can be a side-effect of erectile dysfunction treatments.
The team first noticed the properties of the drug when during experiments with mice they discovered that mice with high levels of a signalling molecule called adenosine were liable to spontenous erections lasting many hours.
In the latest study, they proved that in mice one of the major complications of priapism, penile fibrosis or scarring of the penis (which can lead to erectile dysfunction) was prevented through drug treatment. They also relieved the priapism itself.
In a statement, the lead scientist on the research Dr. Yang Xia said, “"We built on our earlier work, which showed that we can prevent and treat priapism in mouse models." She continued, “When we treated the mice, we do not see any side effects or any abnormality. Actually, the mice look better. We can quickly correct the priapism and prevent and treat penile fibrosis."
The team’s findings were published in the latest issue of The Faseb Journal and they are hoping to begin a clinical trial soon.

Scientist Gets Grant fo Develop New ED Treatment

Posted: Wednesday, 7 October, 2009 | Categories: Erectile Dysfunction, New Treatments, Priapism, erectile dysfunction, treatments

A researcher from the U.S has been awarded a grant to conduct clinical trials into a potential new treatment for erectile dysfunction. The researcher, Dr. Nestor Gonzalex-Cadavid, is already famous for his pioneering work into surgeries to treat erectile dysfunction.
Endogenous Stem Cells Activators, based in Los Angeles, have given the scientist’s company, LA BioMed, $1.2 million to see whether a medication named KRONOS IV, which has already been given approval by the FDA, could be used to reverse the aging process that can lead to impotence.
Dr Gonzalez-Cadavid’s previous surgical technique involved stem cells, which were used to rebuild penile tissue. In trials, he successfully led penile tissue in animal models to be restored through the implantation of adult stem cells taken from skeletal muscles. However the procedure is expensive and involves the difficulty of finding a stem-cell donor. He hopes that the new drug could replace the surgery.
In a press release, the scientist said that L.A BioMed appreciated ESAI’s ‘vote of confidence’. He described his research as a ‘new and promising approach’ to erectile dysfunction, but said that its application in clinics was remote as “it is invasive, restricted to the donor patient, expensive to generate and difficult to achieve approval under the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) regulations. “ He continued, “KRONOS IV is based upon a generic drug presently on the market and approved by the FDA in the treatment of a certain medical condition, making it more available and less expensive."
ESAI said that they were expecting pre-clinical results for treatment of ED with KRONOS to be ready in up to 12 months and that if they were promising, clinical trials would be launched, with the eventual aim of seeing KRONOS IV licensed as an off-label ED medication.

Acupuncture Probably Doesn't Help Erectile Dysfunction

Posted: Monday, 10 August, 2009 | Categories: Erectile Dysfunction, New Treatments, Priapism, erectile dysfunction, treatments, Treatments

Acupuncture is often touted as a miracle cure for everything from migraines to infertility. However a new study has indicated that the evidence that acupuncture can cure impotence is weak at best.

Previous studies had shown that the ancient Chinese procedure, where specific areas of the body are stimulated when special pins are inserted, could restore erectile function. They seemed to show that the needles increased the amount of nitric oxide in the body, known to help men achieve an erectile.

However reporting in the journal BJU International, a team from the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine said that having evaluated the studies, there was “no convincing evidence” that acupuncture made a difference to ED.

Looking at the data from across 80 research studies, Dr Myeong Lee and her team discovered that only two were randomized control trials, the most reliable type of trial that involves two groups of patients, half of whom are given a placebo treatment.

Out of those two, one reported that the treatment was beneficial, while the other did not. There were also two other trials identified by the authors of the study, where there was no placebo group. Both those trials showed that acupuncture was beneficial for men suffering from ED.

Dr. Lee said that this showed the design of the studies was open to bias and often suggested false-positive results. She concluded that there was no definite proof that the treatment worked and called for “more rigorous trials.”