Stents

[Flavio]

Medtronics Inc. is developping a new treatment for ED: the placement of stents in pelvic arteries. A stent is a wire metal mesh tube used to prop open an artery during angioplasty.

The new treatment has its limitations, though:

"the treatment — if it works — only would be helpful for men whose erectile dysfunction stems from diminished blood flow to the penis. It would not treat erectile dysfunction from other causes. And he said the stent treatment would be an option for a different set of erectile dysfunction patients than those who need penile implants."

Results are expected soon:

"Medtronic expects to enroll 50 patients in the U.S. study of pelvic stents over the next year. Results are expected in 2011. No hospital in the Twin Cities is expected to be part of the study. Participants in the research must have had suboptimal responses to the drug treatments for erectile dysfunction."

And some impressive numbers:

"During the first six months of the year, sexual function disorder drugs including Viagra, Cialis and Levitra posted combined U.S. sales of $972 million — an increase of 14 percent over the same period in 2008, according to IMS Health, a Connecticut-based health care information and consulting company."

You can read the full article here:

http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_13551936

[Flavio]

Here's the full press release with more details on this:
Medtronic, Inc.

[ PRESS RELEASE ]
(urotoday.com)

[Willie]

This sounds like it could possibly be the next cure. Currently, penile revascularization surgery is the only cure I know of. This stent could be huge if it gets approved.