Men unable to have an erection after prostate surgery enjoyed normal intercourse thanks to stem cell therapy, scientists report.
In first-phase clinical trials, eight out of 15 continent men suffering from erectile dysfunction had sex six months after the one-time treatment, without recourse to drugs or penile implants.
The positive result showed no signs of flagging during a subsequent year-long monitoring period.
“As far as we know, this is the first time that a human study with a 12-month follow up shows that the treatment is lasting and safe,” said Lars Lund, a professor at Odense University Hospital in Denmark who took part in the trials.
“That is much better than taking a pill every time you want to have intercourse,” he said.
The results were promising enough to convince Danish health authorities to authorise so-called phase III “double-blind” randomised trials in which one group of men is given stem cell therapy and another placebos.