Effectiveness and Safety of Oro-Dispersible Sildenafil in a New Film Formulation for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction: Comparison Between Sildenafil 100-mg Film-Coated Tablet and 75-mg Oro-Dispersible Film
Authors: Cocci Andrea , Capece Marco , Cito Gianmartin , Russo Giorgio Ivan , Falcone Marco , Timpano Massimiliano , Rizzo Michele , Della Camera Pier Andrea , Morselli Simone , Campi Riccardo , Sessa Francesco , Cacciamani Giovanni , Minervini Andrea , Gacci Mauro , Mirone Vincenzo , Morelli Girolamo , Mondaini Nicola , Polloni Gaia , Serni Sergio , Natali Alessandro 
Published: November 2017

Background

A new oro-dispersible film (ODF) formulation of sildenafil has been developed for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) to overcome the drawbacks that some patients experience when taking the conventional film-coated tablet (FCT).

Aim

To assess the effectiveness and safety of sildenafil ODF formulation in patients with ED who were using the conventional FCT.

Methods

From May 2017 through July 2017, 139 patients with ED were enrolled. Data from penile color-duplex ultrasound, medical history, hormonal evaluation, and patient self-administered questionnaires were collected. All patients were administered sildenafil 100-mg FCT for 4 weeks. Thereafter, they underwent a 2-week washout period and subsequently took sildenafil 75-mg ODF for 4 weeks.

Outcomes

The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-15), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Patient Global Impressions of Improvement (PGI-I), and Clinician Global Impressions of Improvement (CGI-I) questionnaires were administered and severity of ED was classified as severe (IIEF-15 score ≤ 10), moderate (IIEF-15 score 11–16), or mild (IIEF-15 score = 17–25).

Results

All patients completed the final protocol. Differences in mean IIEF scores for erectile function, orgasmic function, sexual desire, and intercourse satisfaction were significantly in favor of sildenafil 100-mg FCT, whereas the mean score for overall satisfaction was in favor of sildenafil 75-mg ODF. A significant difference in changes in HADS score was found from washout to final follow-up (mean difference = −0.19; P &lt; .01). For the ODF formulation, the median CGI-I score was 3.5 (interquartile range [IQR] = 2.5–4.5) and the median PGI-I score was 3.0 (IQR = 2.0–4.0). The median action time was 20.0 minutes (IQR = 15.0–30.0) and the median mouth time was 60.0 seconds (IQR = 30.0–120.0).

Clinical Implications

The ODF formulation of a widely known drug, with the same safety and effectiveness of the FCT, was better appreciated by patients in overall satisfaction.

Strengths and Limitations

This is the first clinical trial to assess the efficacy of a new formulation of sildenafil in patients with ED. The limitations of the study are related to the methodology used: it was not a case-control study and the patients were not drug-naïve for ED treatment. Therefore, only the “additional” side effects of the ODF formulation compared with FCT are reported.

Conclusion

The new ODF formulation is as efficient and safe as the FCT formulation and offers a new choice of treatment to specialists for more precisely tailored therapy.