GSK’s Avodart tackles BPH better in combination
pharmafile | October 14, 2009 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing |Â Â GSK, bph, urologyÂ
GlaxoSmithKline's urinary treatment Avodart works better as part of a combination therapy, according to a new survey.
The drug was shown, when given with tamsulosin, to have benefits for men with prostate enlargement.
In the four-year CombAT study Avodart (dutasteride) and tamsulosin together showed a 66% reduction in the risk of acute urinary retention (AUR) or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)-related surgery compared to tamsulosin alone.
And the GSK-sponsored study, published online in European Urology, found a 20% risk reduction in these factors compared to Avodart on its own.
Part of the results' significance lies in the fact that tamsulosin is the active ingredient in Boehringer Ingelheim's Flomax, one of Avodart's rivals in this therapy area.
The combination also reduced the risk of BPH clinical progression by 44% versus tamsulosin alone, and by 31% for patients on Avodart.
The two treatments together also delivered better, sustained symptom improvement than either drug on their own.
Treating men with enlarged prostate can prevent it leading to AUR, which is a complete obstruction of urinary excretion.
While not life threatening, BPH affects nearly half of men over 50 and can have a significant negative impact on lifestyle.
"For many men BPH is a progressive disease causing discomfort, inconvenience and embarrassment," said CombAT's principal investigator Claus Roehrborn.
"CombAT provides evidence that dutasteride and tamsulosin together may benefit these men, potentially reducing the long-term risk of disease progression and improving their symptoms."
Boehringer last year applied to make Flomax available in the UK from pharmacists without a prescription.
The proposed POM to P switch would see it being marketed as Flomax Relief, a once-daily 400-mcg tablet.
Launched in 2003, Avodart took its place in a crowded global marketplace worth $1.6 billion.
As well as Flomax, other treatments include Yamanouchi's Harnal, Merck's Proscar and Pfizer's Cardura.
Avodart was the first in the 5-alpha reductase inhibitor (5ARI) class, inhibiting both types of the enzyme that triggers BPH.
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