New Treatment for Prostate Enlargement

Their work was reported in the December 2003 issue of the Journal of Urology.

BPH affects about 85% of men over 50 and causes frequent urination and irritation. Current drugs either relax the prostate or reduce its size and have undesired side effects. The drug under development inhibits both proliferation and adrenergic contraction of smooth muscle cells, with virtually no hormonal side effects. The drug is being developed by researchers at University College London (UK) at the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research and its Institute of Urology and Nephrology.

"We are still at the development stages and more research will be required before the new treatment becomes available,” said Dr. Selim Cellek, who led the investigation. "Research has shown that this type of compound can also be used to treat erectile dysfunction. The future for this line of research is therefore promising, since men with an enlarged prostate often suffer from impotence.”




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