ReviewSexual medicine2025
Addressing unmet needs for patients with erectile dysfunction: a narrative review of topical therapies.
Review in Sexual medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Treatment of patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) was revolutionized by the development and approval of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5is), which have been repeatedly shown to be safe and effective in men with this condition. However, some patients do not respond to these agents and others may prefer an alternative therapy. Aim: The objective of this paper is to evaluate topical therapies for ED used in clinical studies, either as single agents or in combination with a PDE5i, and consequently determine which topical therapies meet the criteria of an 'ideal medication for ED.' Methods: The PubMed database was searched to identify clinical studies of topical agents that have been evaluated in men with ED. This review was supplemented by a search of presentations at the 2024 annual meetings of the American Urological Association and Sexual Medicine Society of North America. Results: The literature review and subsequent screening resulted in 39 clinical studies and 5 meeting abstracts for review. The studies demonstrated efficacy for intraurethral and topical alprostadil, topical prostaglandin E Clinical Translation: The availability of safe and effective topical ED therapy is an important addition to current treatment options for men with this condition. Strengths and Limitations: This study provides results from a comprehensive search strategy by including a wide range of search criteria. However, the heterogeneity of studies evaluated creates difficulties in directly comparing results from different studies. Conclusion: The results of this analysis show that current topical therapies can provide statistically and clinically significant improvements in erectile function in men with ED and may provide an effective alternative to PDE5i in men who require or prefer an alternative therapy.
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