Dicot addresses great need for new treatments of erectile dysfunction

Despite the fact that the demand for potency drugs is rising, there are deficiencies among those present on the market today and who were introduced twenty years ago. Between 30 and 40 percent of patients do not respond well to treatment. In addition, many men experience side effects such as headaches, abdominal pain, digestive problems and visual disturbances, hence leading to many choosing to stop treatment. Another challenge is the short duration of effect, maximum 36 hours.

Common to all existing drugs is that they are fully synthetic so-called PDE-5 inhibitors which make it easier for the blood vessels in the penis to dilate. However, at the same time PDE-5 inhibitors also affect blood vessels in other parts of the body causing unwanted problems. The pharmaceutical company Dicot is developing a new type of potency drug that has an organic origin and is a semi-synthetic substance aimed at improving the performance of erectile dysfunction drugs.

- Addressing the challenges of today's PDE-5 inhibitors is crucial in the development of our drug candidate LIB-01, which, among other things, has a duration of effect of over seven days according to results from animal studies. To confirm future clinical needs, we have commissioned a series of interviews with leading sexual medicine physicians. They verify the need for better alternatives and stress that a drug with fewer side effects and longer duration of effect is paramount. Dr Chris McMahon, former chairman of The International Society of Sexual Medicine, says that "one tablet a week with proven effect, proven safety profile and no significant side effects, would be a game changer". Professor Arthur Burnett, urologist at the John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, states that "LIB-01 can replace PDE-5 inhibitors if the long duration of effect at low dose can be proven," something we did in the last animal studies 2021, says Göran Beijer, CEO of Dicot.

Uppsala, March 17, 2022.