Proscar Versus Hytrin And Cardura For BPH

The results of a new study which compares the potential of Abbott Laboratories' Hytrin (terazosin) against that of Merck & Co's Proscar (finasteride) in treating benign prostate hyperplasia has found that Hytrin works better than its Merck rival in reducing associated disease symptoms.

Herbert Lepor of New York University, USA, told those attending a meeting of the American Foundation for Urological Disease that in an 18-month study of 1,129 men in 31 Veterans Affairs hospitals, Proscar shrank the prostate by the expected amount (previous trials showed Proscar to produce a progressive decrease in prostate size over a 12-month period), which he valued at around 20%, while treatment with Hytrin showed little or no effect on prostate size. However, when prostate symptoms were measured, Dr Lepor found that Hytrin relieved symptoms an average of 6.1 points (according to a specially designed scale) after a year of use while Proscar only relieved symptoms an average of 3.2 points, compared to a placebo score of 2.6 points, over the same treatment period. A change of 3 points from baseline, according to Dr Lepor, is minimally significant. Further to this, it was also found that Proscar was no better than placebo in all patients except the 10% who had the largest prostates.

John Lynch, chief of the department of urology at Georgetown University, USA, who spoke at the meeting, said that he too had noticed greater relief of symptoms in patients taking the Abbott product. "I see significant results in lower than 50% of patients [taking] Proscar," he said, adding that Hytrin often helps within days while Proscar's full benefits only come after two months.