Novel pharmacological approaches in the treatment of erectile dysfunction

The pharmacological treatment of erectile dysfunction has taken central importance among therapeutic approaches for this increasingly recognized, widespread disorder. In the past decade and a half, the specialty of erectile dysfunction management has witnessed an enormous growth in basic scientific interest which has been translated impressively to the clinical arena. Discoveries of regulatory mechanisms involved in penile erection have been garnered both at peripheral neurologic and end organ levels and at central brain and spinal cord levels. These discoveries along with ongoing investigations in the field provide a firm foundation for implementing exciting and effective erectile dysfunction pharmacotherapies both now and in the future. The purpose of this report is to review the current trends and new directions in the pharmacotherapy of erectile dysfunction.