Researchers debate recreational use of PDE-5 inhibitors

Leaders in the field of sexual medicine will actively debate the use of oral pills for erectile dysfunction (ED) at the 7th Congress of the European Society for Sexual Medicine in London, UK.

Moderated by Irwin Goldstein, MD, editor of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, the exchange is scheduled to take place on December 5, 2004 in the Palace Suite of the Hilton London Metropole. Journalists are invited to join a panel posing questions to the use of oral pills as lifestyle drugs versus medications strictly for health problems.

Viagra, or sildenafil citrate, the first of the PDE-5 inhibitors to hit the market in treatment of ED in 1998, first got its start as a potential angina treatment. Since then, vardenafil (Levitra) and tadalafil (Cialis) have joined the scene, targeted at millions of men suffering from erectile dysfunction. Urologists estimate that as many as 152 million men fall into this group, over half of all men over the age of 40, yet the treatment for this ailment appeals to numbers beyond. While PDE-5 inhibitors are technically used to enable men to have an erection when ED is caused by problems like diabetes, depression, hypertension or prostate surgery, others see these drugs as an opportunity to enhance their lifestyle through sexual performance.

Dimitrios Hatzichristou, MD will argue that PDE-5 inhibitors are excellent lifestyle drugs. With other medications treating hair loss, obesity, and other conditions not severely life-threatening, PDE-5 inhibitors have a place in the market for men with and without erectile dysfunction.

"Erectile dysfunction is an important indicator of serious underlying medical conditions," writes Geoff Hackett, MD in a cover story of pH7 Magazine. He will discuss the points behind taking PDE-5 inhibitors solely as a medication for real health problems.

About The International Society for Sexual Medicine
The International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM) was founded in 1982 for the purpose of promoting research and exchange of knowledge for the clinical entity "impotence" throughout the international scientific community. The principal orientation of ISSM was initially towards basic science of erection, defects in the erectile mechanism, and the clinical aspects of diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction. The focus is now towards the whole field of sexual medicine. The society has over 2000 members worldwide and there are five regional societies that are affiliated with ISSM including the African Society for Sexual and Impotence Research, Asia Pacific Society for Sexual and Impotence Research, European Society for Sexual Medicine, Latin American Society for Impotence and Sexuality Research, and Sexual Medicine Society of North America.

About The Journal of Sexual Medicine
The Journal of Sexual Medicine is the official journal of the International Society for Sexual Medicine and its five regional affiliate societies. It is the first journal owned and operated by the societies. The aim of the journal is to publish multidisciplinary basic science and clinical research to define and understand the scientific basis of male and female sexual function and dysfunction. The journal provides healthcare professionals in sexual medicine with essential educational content and promotes the exchange of scientific information generated from experimental and clinical research. The Journal of Sexual Medicine includes basic science and clinical research studies in the psychologic and biologic aspects of male and female sexual function and dysfunction, and highlights new observations and research, results with innovative treatments and all other topics relevant to clinical sexual medicine. For more information on The Journal of Sexual Medicine, please visit http://jsm.issir.org.

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