Introduction
Ov
er th
e past 15 y
ears, th
e discov
ery and d
ev
elopm
ent of oral m
edications that s
el
ectiv
ely inhibit th
e enzym
e phosphodi
est
eras
e typ
e 5 (PDE5) hav
e r
evolutionis
ed th
e tr
eatm
ent of
er
ectil
e dysfunction (ED). Curr
ently, thr
ee PDE5 inhibitors ar
e wid
ely availabl
e clinically, i.
e., sild
enafil, vard
enafil and tadalafil. N
ew PDE5 inhibitors, including avanafil and ud
enafil, ar
e no
w in clinical us
e in a f
ew countri
es, and oth
er compounds ar
e und
er d
ev
elopm
ent.
Methods
We describe the current use and future direction of PDE5 inhibitors in the treatment of ED.
Results and conclusion
Each PDE5 inhibitor has an excellent and comparable efficacy and tolerability. These drugs are highly effective for ED of various causes, and are effective in preventing ED after radical prostatectomy. However, whilst being at least 60 % effective, PDE5 inhibitors are still ineffective in at least 30 % of patients, prompting current research into other pharmacological targets for ED.