Drveejay11
Community Veteran
5-Alpha Reductase Inhibitors Don'tOffer Much Help In BPH
By David Jack
Special to DG News
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND -- June 23, 1999 -- Results of several clinical trials show that 5-alpha reductase inhibitors such as finesteride do not contribute much to the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) when combined with alpha-1 blockers.
The findings were presented yesterday at the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.
Dr. R. R. Kirby, St. George’s Hospital, London, England, presented the results of the PREDICT (Prospective European Doxazosin and Combination Therapy) trial. The randomised trial, sponsored by Pfizer, investigated the safety and efficacy of the alpha-1 blocker, doxazocin, the 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, finasteride, or a combination of doxazosin + finasteride, compared with placebo in patients with symptomatic BPH.
The researchers randomised 1,089 patients with BPH, 50 to 80 years of age, to receive one of the four treatments and monitored them for one year. The doxazosin dose was titrated up to a maximum of 8 mg daily while finasteride was maintained at 5 mg daily throughout the study.
The primary efficacy variables were the International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) and the maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), while safety was monitored by the incidence of acute urinary retention (AUR) and the need for TURP (transurethral resection of the prostate).
Both doxazosin and doxazosin + finasteride produced a statistically-significant improvement in both the Qmax and I-PSS. There was no difference in I-PSS between finasteride alone and placebo, while doxazosin and the doxazosin + finasteride combination were equally effective. Both AUR and TURP were more common in the placebo group than in the three drug-treated groups and both drugs were well tolerated. The 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, finasteride, on its own does not seem to be of significant benefit in treating symptoms of BPH, although both drugs seem able to reduce the need for surgery.
WTF???
By David Jack
Special to DG News
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND -- June 23, 1999 -- Results of several clinical trials show that 5-alpha reductase inhibitors such as finesteride do not contribute much to the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) when combined with alpha-1 blockers.
The findings were presented yesterday at the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.
Dr. R. R. Kirby, St. George’s Hospital, London, England, presented the results of the PREDICT (Prospective European Doxazosin and Combination Therapy) trial. The randomised trial, sponsored by Pfizer, investigated the safety and efficacy of the alpha-1 blocker, doxazocin, the 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, finasteride, or a combination of doxazosin + finasteride, compared with placebo in patients with symptomatic BPH.
The researchers randomised 1,089 patients with BPH, 50 to 80 years of age, to receive one of the four treatments and monitored them for one year. The doxazosin dose was titrated up to a maximum of 8 mg daily while finasteride was maintained at 5 mg daily throughout the study.
The primary efficacy variables were the International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) and the maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), while safety was monitored by the incidence of acute urinary retention (AUR) and the need for TURP (transurethral resection of the prostate).
Both doxazosin and doxazosin + finasteride produced a statistically-significant improvement in both the Qmax and I-PSS. There was no difference in I-PSS between finasteride alone and placebo, while doxazosin and the doxazosin + finasteride combination were equally effective. Both AUR and TURP were more common in the placebo group than in the three drug-treated groups and both drugs were well tolerated. The 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, finasteride, on its own does not seem to be of significant benefit in treating symptoms of BPH, although both drugs seem able to reduce the need for surgery.
WTF???
