Shares of Mountain View, California-based Vivus were on the rise this morning after the biotech reported that a Phase II trial of its experimental impotence drug provided positive efficacy data. Researchers tested 284 patients in a double blind test and found that 64 percent of the patients taking the highest dose of avanafil were able to retain an erection long enough for successful intercourse. No comparable data for the placebo group was given.
"The study demonstrated that avanafil, if approved, could be a safe, effective and convenient treatment for ED," stated Dr. Joel Kaufman, one of the investigators in the study. "Excellent results were achieved with no restrictions on food and alcohol consumption. The ability to initiate intercourse in 30 minutes, which is half the time as compared to the recommended initiation time of two of the currently approved PDE5 inhibitors, while maintaining a high degree of efficacy, should help differentiate avanafil and give men a meaningful option to treat their ED. The short half life of avanafil also offers an important alternative to currently marketed products."
- read this press release for more