Efficacy and Safety of 12-week Monotherapy With Once Daily 5 mg Tadalafil for Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Evidence-based Analysis

Abstract

Background: Tadalafil has been approved for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) for nearly 10 years. However, there are insufficient evidence-based studies of the efficacy and safety of tadalafil in treating lower urinary tract symptoms of BPH (LUTS/BPH). Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic effect and clinical safety of tadalafil monotherapy (5 mg once daily for 12 weeks) for LUTS/BPH. Methods: A total of 13 studies (15 randomized clinical trials [RCTs]) were extracted from the following databases: PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, and Web of Science for the period up to July 2021. The quality of the included RCTs was evaluated independently by two authors, who, respectively, extracted data according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses principles. Conflicts were settled by a discussion with two-third of senior authors. All data analyses were conducted by the Review Manager, version 5.4. Results: Regarding efficacy, 12-week trials indicated that 5 mg once daily tadalafil showed a significantly lower and, consequently, better total International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) than the placebo did (mean difference [MD]: −1.97, 95% CI: −2.24 to −1.70; P < 0.00001). In addition, significant differences were found between the tadalafil regimen and the placebo in the IPSS voiding subscore (MD: −1.30, 95% CI: −1.48 to −1.11; P < 0.00001), the IPSS storage subscore (MD: −0.70, 95% CI: −0.82 to −0.58; P < 0.00001), the IPSS quality of life (MD: −0.29, 95% CI: −0.35 to −0.22; P < 0.00001), and BPH impact index (MD: −0.58, 95% CI: −0.76 to −0.40; P < 0.00001). The safety analysis did not show a significant difference in serious adverse events between the two groups (risk ratio: 1.27, 95% CI: 0.80–2.01; P = 0.31), although the adverse events occurred at a higher incidence in the tadalafil group than in the placebo. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that once daily 5 mg tadalafil is a potentially effective and safe treatment choice with excellent tolerability for patients with LUTS/BPH. Systematic Review Registration: Identifier (CRD42021228840).