Dutasteride (Avodart): new 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor for treating BPH. (Medication Minute).

Urologic Nursing, June, 2003 by Gaines, Kaye K.

Avodart[R] (dutasteride, GlaxoSmithKline) was approved in October 2002 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It is a new 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor that is similar to finasteride, but with a potentially notable difference. Both finasteride and dutasteride inhibit 5-aipha-reductase; 5-aipha-reductase facilitates conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is a key enzyme in the development and growth rate of prostate hyperplasia. Finasteride (which has been widely studied and has been available in the United States since 1992) inhibits one isoform of 5-aipha-reductase located primarily in the prostate, but dutasteride additionally inhibits a second isoform, reducing DHT formation in the...

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