Sildenafil may have the potential to fight cancer, according to a new study. The clinical research found that the class of drugs currently prescribed to treat male erectile dysfunction can be included in the new trials for anti-cancer drugs. The researchers identified that selective phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors have the potential to be used in new drug trials.
These PDE5 inhibitors are a class of drugs that include drugs more commonly known by their brand names – Sildenafil, Tadalafil and Levitra. “In many respects, sildenafil is the ultimate repurposing success story,” said researcher. “It was originally developed for angina, repurposed for erectile dysfunction and then again for pulmonary arterial hypertension, and now it has the potential to be repurposed again as an anti-cancer drug.” PDE5 inhibitors showed a wide range of mechanisms of action in different cancer types,…
