An evaluation of an alternative dosing regimen with tadalafil, 3 times/week, for men with erectile dysfunction: SURE study in 14 European countries.

Objective: To examine the preference for 2 dosing regimens (on demand or 3 times/week) for tadalafil, a phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor with a duration of effectiveness up to 36 hours in men with erectile dysfunction (ED).

Design And Methods: SURE is a 14 European country, multicenter, crossover, and open-label study. Men with ED (N=4262) were randomized to tadalafil 20mg treatment on demand (maximum one dose per day and before sexual activity) or 3 times/week for 5-6 weeks. After a 1-week washout period, patients were crossed over to the alternate regimen for 5-6 weeks. The patient's response to a treatment preference question (TPQ) was used to determine the preferred treatment regimen.

Results: The mean age of the randomized patients was 55 years and 85.2% reported a history of ED for one year or greater. Overall, the responses of 3861 men to the TPQ assessment showed that 57.8% preferred the on-demand regimen and 42.2% preferred the 3 times/week dosing. Both regimens were efficacious and well tolerated.

Conclusions: In this study, while 57.8% of men preferred the on-demand regimen of tadalafil 20mg, a substantial number (42.2%) preferred the 3 times/week treatment. The two regimens provide additional treatment options by giving men with erectile dysfunction unique flexibility in dosing with tadalafil.