Avodart
Order Avodart
Overview
It must be stressed that Avodart is prescribed for
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia ( BPH ) and not for hair
loss.
Propecia was first developed for prostate and then later
hair loss.
Hair loss is a side effect of these drugs and they were
not designed specifically for hair loss.
Avodart
is only available by prescription, and many doctors will
not give a prescription for the drug as it is purely for
BPH not hair loss.
About Avodart
Avodart, a second-generation 5 alpha-reductase
inhibitor, is the first and only medicine to inhibit
both the type 1 and type 2 enzymes responsible for the
conversion of testosterone to DHT (dihydrotestosterone),
the primary cause of prostate growth. Advodart's dual
inhibition decreases levels of DHT by 90 percent at two
weeks and 93 percent at two years.
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia ( BPH ) is one of
the most common health problems in older men. BPH often
begins after age 50 and can progress and worsen as men
age. More than half of men over the age of 60 experience
BPH, and by age 80 nearly 80% of men have the disease.
Dosage
Physical properties of Avodart:
1) white-yellowish powder.
2) insoluble in water
3) easily dissolves in ethanol (44mg/mL), methanol (64
mg/mL) and polyethylene glycol 400 (3mg/mL).
Dutasteride is active ingredient of
Avodart.
Avodart dosage is 0.5mg in soft gelatin capsule.
The capsule is compounded by
dissolving 0.5mg of dutaseride in a combination of mono-di-glycerides
caprylic/capric acid and butylated hydroxytoluene. Other
ingredients are included.
Effectiveness of Dutasteride was
evaluated at different daily dosage, ranging from 0.01 mg,
0.05 mg, 0.5 mg, 2.5 mg, and 5.0 mg per day.
It was found that the highest
suppression of DHT was achieved with 2.5 mg or 5.0 mg per
day. At a daily dosage of 2.5 mg or 5.0 mg, Dutasteride
suppresses close to 100% of the DHT whereas 5.0 mg daily
dosage of Finasteride only suppresses close to 70% of the
DHT.
The level of DHT suppression does not
seem to different significantly between 2.5 mg and 5.0 mg.
And at a daily dose of 0.5mg, DHT inhibiton is close to
90%.
The
maximum effect of
Avodart can be observed within 1 to
2 weeks. After 1 and 2 weeks of daily dosing with
Avodart 0.5mg, median serum DHT concentrations were
reduced by 85% and 90% respectively. Test patients treated
with a daily dosage of 0.5mg
Avodart for 2 years, the
median decrease in serum DHT concentration was over 92%
for both year 1 and year 2 of the 2-year trial.
Clinical Trials Results
- Avodart was investigated in three large,
well-controlled multi-center studies involving 4,325
men aged 50 and above with a serum PSA level ³ 1.5 ng/mL
and < 10 ng/mL, and BPH diagnosed by medical history
and physical examination, including enlarged prostate
(greater than or equal to 30 cc) and BPH symptoms that
were moderate to severe according to the American
Urological Association Symptom Index.
- Data from these two-year clinical trials
demonstrated that treatment with Avodart (0.5 mg once
daily) reduced the risk of both AUR and BPH-related
surgical intervention relative to placebo, improved
BPH-related symptoms, decreased prostate volume, and
increased maximum urinary flow rates.
Side Effects
- Drug-related side effects during the first six
months were as follows: impotence (4.7 percent vs. 1.7
percent for placebo), decreased libido (3 percent vs.
1.4 percent), breast tenderness and breast enlargement
(gynecomastia; 0.5 percent vs. 0.2 percent) and
ejaculation disorders (1.4 percent vs. 0.5 percent).
- Avodart should not be used in women and
children. Women who are pregnant or may become
pregnant should not handle Avodart because of
possibility of absorption of Avodart and
subsequent potential risk to a male foetus.
- Men treated with Avodart should not donate
blood until at least six months after their final dose
to prevent giving Avodart to a pregnant woman
through a blood transfusion. Men with an allergic
reaction to Avodart or its ingredients should not
take it. Men with liver disease should talk to their
doctor before taking Avodart.
- Clinical trials of Avodart showed that it was
generally well tolerated. Most side effects were mild
or moderate and generally went away while on treatment
in both the Avodart and placebo groups.
- The incidence of most drug-related sexual adverse
events decreased with duration of treatment. The
incidence of drug-related breast tenderness and breast
enlargement remained constant over the treatment
period. Ejaculate volume may be decreased in some
patients with continued treatment. This decrease did
not appear to interfere with normal sexual function.
Hair Loss Trials
There is conflicting information on whether Glaxo are
going to continue phase 3 trail for Avodart/Dutasteride
for hair loss.
The latest from Glaxo site suggest the trial will be
completed 2005.
More
information on Dutasteride / Avodart
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