GSK/S-P's Levitra 83% "effective" in patients on hypertension drugs

UK-based GlaxoSmithKline, the world's second-largest drugmaker, and US drug major Schering-Plough say that their co-marketed erectile dysfunction drug Levitra (vardenafil, licensed from Bayer), is "effective" in men taking one or more hypertension drugs, according to data published in the March issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine. In the double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, patients on the PDE5 inhibitor experienced an 83% overall success rate in erectile function versus 58% for placebo (p<0.0001). The firms noted that the drug's performance was unaffected by the concomitant use of antihypertensives including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and diuretics.