First Release Of Long-Term Proscar Data

The benefits of Merck's Proscar (finasteride) treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia is maintained after four years' treatment, said Fritz Schroder, Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, presenting at the 11th Congress of the European Association of Urology in Berlin, Germany, earlier this month.

After four years, said Prof Schroder, the average reduction in prostatic size was 25%-30% among the 243 men treated continuously for four years with 5mg per day of finasteride. The increase in maximal urinary flow was 2-3ml, and the improvement in urinary symptom score was three-to-four points on a 36-point scale.

The follow-up period was part of an open-extension to two earlier 12-month controlled studies. After 12 months' treatment with 5mg of finasteride, prostate specific antigen levels, maximum urinary flow rates and symptom scores were improved.