Viagra Long-Term Efficacy and Quality of Life.

Viagra Long-Term Efficacy and Quality of Life, Serge Cartier, McGill University; Alvaro Morales, Kingston General Hospital, Canada; Isabelle Defoy, Pfizer Canada Inc.

We assessed the maintenance of long-term efficacy (3 years) and satisfaction with continued use of sildenafil (Viagra) taken as required prior to sexual activity by patients with erectile dysfunction (ED). This multi-center, non-comparative study was an open-label extension of a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. Patients were eligible if they had been initially randomized to sildenafil and had successfully completed the double-blind trial. Efficacy was measured through the IIEF and the GAQ. The intent-to-treat population included 225 patients. Scores for the erectile function, orgasmic function, intercourse satisfaction, and overall satisfaction domains of the IIEF showed no difference between months 3 and 36, although there was a statistical improvement between month 0 and month 3 of treatment. Quality of life, as assessed with the SF-12 questionnaire, showed no deterioration between months 3 and 36. The impact of participants' erectile problems, as assessed through the Erectile Distress Scale, improved with time, with a score of 23.6 at month 3 and 24.7 at month 36. After 36 months of treatment, 75% of men felt that their erection problems were none/a little of the time a worry in their life, as opposed to 64% at month 3. Overall, the results presented here demonstrate that sildenafil is as effective after 36 months of treatment as it was during the double-blind controlled study. Quality of life is still maintained after 3 years of treatment and erectile problems are less bothersome after 3 years of treatment. This study also supports the longterm safety of sildenafil in patients with ED.