Patterns of switching phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors in the treatment of erectile dysfunction: results from the Erectile Dysfunction Observational Study

Summary Aims: This report describes patterns of treatment changes with the phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors tadalafil, sildenafil and vardenafil, and variables associated with those treatment changes, during the 6‐month, prospective, pan‐European Erectile Dysfunction Observational Study (EDOS). Methods: EDOS observed 8047 men ≥ 18 years old with erectile dysfunction (ED), who began or changed ED therapy as part of their routine healthcare. Patients could change ED treatment at any time during EDOS. Data were collected at baseline and at 3 (± 1) and 6 (± 1) months. Analyses included ED treatment‐naïve patients with complete follow‐up who were prescribed a PDE5 inhibitor at baseline (n = 4026). Results: Most patients, regardless of what PDE5 inhibitor they were prescribed at baseline, continued on that same PDE5 inhibitor throughout the study. Continuation rates were approximately 89% in the tadalafil cohort, vs. 63–64% in the sildenafil and vardenafil cohorts. The variables most strongly associated with increased risk of switching were prescription of sildenafil or vardenafil, vs. tadalafil, at baseline (odds ratios 4.43 and 4.14 respectively; p