FDA OKs Impotence Drug Cialis to Treat Enlarged Prostate (HealthDay)

THURSDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDay News) --

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced late Thursday that it had approved using the erectile dysfunction drug Cialis as a treatment for enlarged prostate.

The FDA said its approval was made on the basis of three studies. Two of the studies looked at changes in BPH symptom severity based on the International Prostate Symptom Score. Those trials found that men who took the 5-milligram dose of Cialis one per day experienced an improvement in BPH symptoms vs. men who took a dummy pill.

The FDA warned that Cialis, which is made by Eli Lilly and Co., "should not be used in patients taking nitrates, for example nitroglycerin, because the combination can cause an unsafe decrease in blood pressure." People taking heart medications known as alpha blockers should also avoid Cialis because its use alongside these drugs has not yet been studied and the combination might lower blood pressure.

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FDA OKs Impotence Drug Cialis to Treat Enlarged Prostate

Groups defend need for prostate screening

CHICAGO (Reuters) -

Reports that an influential group of advisers plans to recommend against routine screening of prostate cancer has drawn criticism from health groups worried the move will increase cancer deaths in men - despite much research which has shown the total uselessness of PSA testing.

The New York Times on Thursday reported that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is thinking of recommending against use of the prostate-specific antigen or PSA test.

The task force, an independent panel appointed by the federal government, plans to give a common blood test known as the PSA test a rating of "D," suggesting there is moderate or high certainty that the test has no net benefit or that the harms outweigh the benefits.

Current recommendations say there is insufficient evidence to support the use of the test.

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Groups defend need for prostate screening