The FDA has approved a sublingual powder formulation of nitroglycerin (GoNitro – Espero) for prevention or acute relief of an attack of angina pectoris. It is the first powder formulation of nitroglycerin to become available in the US. Most patients with angina use sublingual nitroglycerin tablets (Nitrostat, and generics). Translingual spray formulations of nitroglycerin (NitroMist, Nitrolingual Pumpspray, and generics) are also available.

The FDA has approved selexipag (Uptravi – Actelion), an oral selective prostacyclin IP receptor agonist, for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Treprostinil (Orenitram), an oral prostacyclin analog, was approved earlier for this indication.

The FDA has approved avanafil (Stendra – Vivus), an oral phosphodiesterase type-5 (PDE5) inhibitor, for treatment of erectile dysfunction. It is the fifth PDE5 inhibitor to be approved for this indication. Advertisements on Stendra’s website imply that it has a faster onset of action than other PDE5 inhibitors.

Prompted by the recent publication of 2 retrospective studies, the FDA has announced that it is investigating the risk of stroke, heart attack, and death in men taking FDA-approved testosterone products.1

The first study examined the records of 8709 men with low testosterone levels (<300 ng/dL) who underwent coronary angiography between 2005 and 2011; 1223 of these men started testosterone therapy after a median of 531 days following coronary angiography. Three years after coronary angiography, the Kaplan-Meier estimated cumulative percentages of men who died or had a myocardial infarction (MI) or ischemic stroke were 26% of those treated with testosterone and 20% of those who were not treated with the hormone, a hazard ratio of 1.29 (95% CI 1.04-1.58; P=0.02).2

The second study compared the rate of nonfatal MI during the 90 days after filling a prescription with the rate in the prior year in 56,000 men given a prescription for testosterone and in 167,000 given a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (sildenafil [Viagra] or tadalafil [Cialis]). In the testosterone group as a whole, the post/pre-prescription rate ratio was 1.36, but in men ≥65 years old it was 2.19 and in younger men with a history of heart disease it was 2.90. In men who received a prescription for sildenafil or tadalafil, the rate ratio was 1.08 for all ages, 1.15 for those ≥65 years old, and 1.40 for younger men with a history of heart disease.3

A recent meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trials of testosterone therapy also found an increased risk of cardiovascular-related events in men treated with the hormone (odds ratio [OR] 1.54; 95% CI 1.09-2.18); an analysis by funding source found that the risk was greater in trials not funded by the pharmaceutical industry (OR 2.06 vs. 0.89).4

1. FDA Drug Safety Communication January 31, 2014: FDA evaluating risk of stroke, heart attack and death with FDA-approved testosterone products. Available at www.fda.gov. Accessed February 24, 2014.

2. R Vigen et al. Association of testosterone therapy with mortality, myocardial infarction, and stroke in men with low testosterone levels. JAMA 2013; 310:1829.

3. WD Finkle et al. Increased risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction following testosterone therapy prescription in men. PLoS One 2014; 9:e85805.

4. L Xu et al. Testosterone therapy and cardiovascular events among men: a systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled randomized trials. BMC Med 2013; 11:108.

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The FDA has approved the use of a permanent prostatic urethral lift implant (UroLift – NeoTract) to relieve low or blocked urine flow in men ≥50 years old with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis) and vardenafil (Levitra, Staxyn) have become the standard treatment for erectile dysfunction. Head-to-head comparisons of these agents are still lacking, but some differences between them and new recommendations for their dosing (see Table 2) are worth noting.

The FDA has approved use of tadalafil (Adcirca - Lilly/United Therapeutics) for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

The phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor tadalafil (Cialis - Lilly) is now being promoted for once daily treatment of erectile dysfunction. Tadalafil differs from sildenafil (Viagra) and vardenafil (Levitra), the other PDE5 inhibitors marketed for erectile dysfunction in the US, in having a much longer duration of action.