For common outcomes there was similar efficacy between PDE-5 inhibitors
Background There are no r and omised and properly blinded trials directly comparing one PDE-5 inhibitor with another in a normal home setting .
Valid indirect comparisons with a common comparator must examine equivalent doses , similar duration , similar population s , with the same outcomes reported in the same way .
Oral sildenafil in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Sildenafil Study Group.
BACKGROUND Sildenafil is a potent inhibitor of cyclic guanosine monophosphate hydrolysis [ corrected ] in the corpus cavernosum and therefore increases the penile response to sexual stimulation . We evaluated the efficacy and safety of sildenafil , administered as needed in two sequential double-blind studies of men with erectile dysfunction of organic , psychogenic , and mixed causes . METHODS In a 24-week dose-response study , 532 men were treated with oral sildenafil  ( 25 , 50 , or 100 mg ) or placebo . In a 12-week , flexible dose-escalation study , 329 different men were treated with sildenafil or placebo , with dose escalation to 100 mg based on efficacy and tolerance . After this dose-escalation study , 225 of the 329 men entered a 32-week , open-label extension study . We assessed efficacy according to the International Index of Erectile Function , a patient log , and a global-efficacy question . RESULTS In the dose-response study , increasing doses of sildenafil were associated with improved erectile function ( P values for increases in scores for questions about achieving and maintaining erections were < 0.001 ) . For the men receiving 100 mg of sildenafil , the mean score for the question about achieving erections was 100 percent higher after treatment than at base line ( 4.0 vs. 2.0 of a possible score of 5 ) . In the last four weeks of treatment in the dose-escalation study , 69 percent of all attempts at sexual intercourse were successful for the men receiving sildenafil , as compared with 22 percent for those receiving placebo ( P<0.001 ) . The mean numbers of successful attempts per month were 5.9 for the men receiving sildenafil and 1.5 for those receiving placebo ( P<0.001 ) . Headache , flushing , and dyspepsia were the most common adverse effects in the dose-escalation study , occurring in 6 percent to 18 percent of the men . Ninety-two percent of the men completed the 32-week extension study . CONCLUSIONS Oral sildenafil is an effective , well-tolerated treatment for men with erectile dysfunction
For common outcomes there was similar efficacy between PDE-5 inhibitors
Background There are no r and omised and properly blinded trials directly comparing one PDE-5 inhibitor with another in a normal home setting .
Valid indirect comparisons with a common comparator must examine equivalent doses , similar duration , similar population s , with the same outcomes reported in the same way .