New ED treatment!

It has taken more than a few days but I promised some information on a company with an innovative new product for the treatment of Erectile Dysfunction (ED).

First of all, let me point out what I have been seeking. An innovative product should have three principal advantages over existing solutions:

• it should be able to be taken by all (including those with heart conditions)

• it should be a cure rather than a temporary fix (i.e. more than 4 hours!)

• it should not have any side-effects (no headaches, palpitations etc)

One could also add that it should be reasonably priced, should not interfere with the sexual act in any way (e.g. when do you pop the Viagra pill?), the treatment is not complicated etc.

One of the major causes of ED is related to vascular problems – the amount of blood (or lack of it) flowing into the penis. Smooth muscle loss, smooth muscle dysfunction and cavernosal fibrosis can cause a failure of the veno-occlusive mechanism leading to the lack of an erection or its maintenance.

I have identified a treatment for ED which is being developed by a small Swiss pharmaceutical company called Inpharma. It is based in Lugano in the southern canton of Ticino (Tessin) and is run by a former high ranking executive of Sandoz.

I believe this treatment could be an exceptional medication for ED for the following reasons:

• it offers a cure rather than a temporary 4 hour or so fix as is the case with Viagra, Cialis, Levitra etc

• it is suitable for patients refractory to PDE5-Is

• it can be taken by patients using NO-donors (i.e. affected by angina pectoris)

• it is suitable patients who suffer PDE5-Is side-effects (headaches, flushing, rhinitis, dyspepsia, nasal congestion, visual side-effects, and sudden hearing loss)

• it is suitable for patients with a need to increase PDE5-Is doses (diabetics, developed resistance)

 

So what is this miracle treatment?

The medication is a gel preparation which represents a new therapeutic treatment approach for patients suffering from vasculogenic Erectile Dysfunction. Specifically it re-establishes the physiological vascular tissue functionality.

This is my first posting on this company and its medication. I am putting together more information and will post again soon. Keep following!

Potential use of Infrared technology

Infrared (IR) technology holds promise as the diagnostic technique of choice – the gold standard – for a number of examinations of urological problems. It is perfectly suited for screening programs. It is a technique which is quick, non-invasive and contact free - in other words, patient friendly.

Whilst the technology has been around for many years, there have been limitations as to its practical application. However, over the last few years there have been a number of improvements which should lead to this technology becoming more widespread in the clinical field. The first is a hardware issue. Electronics and camera quality have progressed in leaps and bounds. Equally important is the fact that costs have also fallen. In part this is due to technological and manufacturing advances but equally important is the fact that high quality infrared optics is no longer the exclusive preserve of the military – see http://www.flir.com/thermography/eurasia/en/ for examples of various end users of this technology. Second, significant improvements in software algorithms have increased the rigour of diagnosis, analysis etc.

Let me give you an example if the potential use of IR for urological diagnostics. The Digital Telethermography and Infrared Functional Imaging Laboratory at ITAB (Istituto Tecnologie Avanzate Biomediche), Chieti, Italy has been working on using IR technology to detecting impaired thermoregulatory control in men with asymptomatic varicocele. This is important because varicocele is one of the principal causes of male infertility. IR technology is perfectly suited to be used in a screening program which, for obvious reasons, needs to be directed at young males. It is a pity – and I am talking purely for medical reasons – that there is no longer military service in many democracies. The occasion when medical tests are undertaken on all new recruits would be the best opportunity to perform a screening.

I intend to make additional postings on IR technology. Should anyone be interested in seeing some papers on the detection of varicocele, please contact me.

Motivations for Seeking Treatment for ED: The Woman's Perspective

A very interesting article was published in the International Journal of international Research covering the female perspective as regards the motivations for seeking treatment for ED. You can access the article here (registration may be required but it is free) or alternatively here.

BioSquare 2010

As is my wont, I have been trawling through the list of participants at the BioSquare 2010 meeting held in Geneva at the beginning of February concentrating on the lesser known companies present. I have come across a small company which appears to have an exciting new product for the treatment of ED which can be taken by those who cannot take Viagra, Cialis, Levitra/Vivanza etc.

I am looking into this and will post more details within the next few days.

Is Infrared (IR) a valid diagnostic technology for evaluating ED and other urological conditions?

Infrared (IR) technology has been used for a number of years as a diagnostic tool for a number of medical conditions. The principal attraction is that is a totally non-invasive technology deriving information in a passive way.

To date the technology has not been widely adopted for two principal reasons. The first has been the availability of high quality IR cameras at a reasonable cost. Traditionally the manufacturers of such devices have kept the price high because one of their principal markets is the military. Prices have been dropping but it still is a limiting factor. The other reason is the relative inadequacy of rigorous algorithms to interpret the acquired data.

The two leading centres worldwide for research into the application of infrared technology in the medical field are the Computational Physiology Lab (http://www.cpl.uh.edu/) at the University of Houston and the Functional Infrared Imaging Lab at ITAB (http://www.fondazioneunich.it/portal/Default.asp?p=31&m=0 only in Italian!) – the Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies at the Foundation University G. D’Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Italy.

It is worthwhile noting that the Functional Infrared Imaging Lab at ITAB has undertaken significant research regarding the application of IR for the diagnosis of urological and related complaints which impact on ED.

I am looking into this and will post more details as soon as I have them available.

Female Viagra

Just seen this news item.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61O3OS20100225?type=globalMarketsNews

Is this truly the best solution knowing the limitations and side-effects of Viagra etc?

Package leaflet warnings - Levitra/Vivanza (Vardenafil)

Do not take Levitra

* If you are allergic (hypersensitive) to vardenafil or any of the other ingredients of Levitra. See the ingredients in section 6. Signs of an allergic reaction include a rash, itching, swollen face or lips and shortness of breath.

* If you are taking medicines containing nitrates, such as glycerol trinitrate for angina, or nitric oxide donors, such as amyl nitrite. Taking these medicines with Levitra could seriously affect your blood pressure.

* If you are taking ritonavir or indinavir, medicines for HIV.

* If you are over 75 years of age and are taking ketoconazole or itraconazole, anti-fungal medicines

* If you have a severe heart or liver problem

* If you are having kidney dialysis

* If you have recently had a stroke or heart attack

* If you have or have had low blood pressure

* If your family has a history of degenerative eye diseases (such as retinitis pigmentosa)

* If you have ever had a condition involving loss of vision due to damage to the optic nerve from insufficient blood supply known as non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION)

Take special care with Levitra

* If you have heart trouble. It may be risky for you to have sex

* If you suffer from irregular heart beat (cardiac arrythmia) or inherited heart diseases affecting your electrocardiogram

* If you have a physical condition affecting the shape of the penis. This includes conditions called angulation, Peyronie’s disease and cavernosal fibrosis

* If you have an illness that can cause erections which won’t go away (priapism). These include sickle cell disease, multiple myeloma and leukaemia

* If you have stomach ulcers (also called gastric or peptic ulcers)

* If you have a bleeding disorder (such as haemophilia)

* If you are using any other treatments for erection difficulties

* If you experience sudden decrease or loss of vision, stop taking Levitra and contact your doctor immediately


Extracted from European Medicines Agency package leaflet information. (EMEA/H/C/475, August 2008)