With this Muse, erections are a pill away
SEP 19 1998
The Straits Times
By LEA WEE
A NEW way to deliver a drug to help impotent men get an erection will
be launched officially today at the Asian Congress of Urology.
Muse (Medicated Urethral System For Erection) involves inserting a
pellet containing the drug alprostadil into the urethra in the penis.
Previously, doctors had to use a syringe to inject the drug into the
penis.
Muse has been tried by about 100 impotent men in Singapore in an
ongoing trial that started in January this year.
Early results show that six out of every 10 men had an erection within
minutes. The erection would last for about 30 minutes to an hour.
About 3 per cent of the men had minor side effects. They included
aching in the penis and groin, dizziness, flushing and minor bleeding due
to improper administration.
These results are comparable to those elsewhere, said National
University Hospital urologist Li Man Kay, who will present the findings
at the congress today.
The men studied are from the Singapore General Hospital, NUH, Tan
Tock Seng Hospital and the New Changi Hospital.
The drug alprostadil is similar to a naturally-occurring substance in
human semen which opens up blood vessels to increase the blood flow
to the penis to cause an erection. It has been used to treat impotence
for the last six to seven years and is safe and effective, said urologist
Peter Lim from the Changi General Hospital.
Dr Li added that unlike Viagra, alprostadil can be used for patients with
heart problems, renal or liver failure.
While Viagra causes an erection only when a man is stimulated sexually,
alprostadil does not require any mental stimulation for the blood to rush
to the penis.
Said Dr Lim: "Thus, it works better for patients with very bad blood
flow, for instance, patients with severe diabetes, or paraplegics."
But the doctors cautioned that Muse was not suitable for all impotent
men.
Such men would include those who are hypersensitive to alprostadil,
have an abnormally-formed penis, or who have conditions that might
result in long-lasting erections, such as sickle cell anaemia, leukaemia or
tumour of the bone marrow.
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