Men who have benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) can choose a medication that delivers a one-two punch to treat their enlarged prostate. Jalyn, a single capsule that combines dutasteride and tamsulosin, two drugs already proven to benefit men with BPH, is currently the only combination medication for treatment of BPH.
What you should know about Jalyn for treatment of BPH
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the GlaxoSmithKline product in June 2010 to treat this prostate disorder, which affects about half of men age 50 and older in the United States. Jalyn treats BPH with a two-fisted delivery because each of the ingredients is from a different drug class and so each provides a different benefit.
Dutasteride (brand name Avodart) is a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor that works by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that causes prostate enlargement. Dutasteride helps shrink the prostate over time. The dose available in Jalyn is 0.5 mg.
Tamsulosin (brand name Flomax) is an alpha-blocker that works by relaxing the muscles in the prostate and bladder neck. Once these muscles relax, symptoms such as frequent urination and urinary urgency are relieved. Jalyn provides 0.4 mg of tamsulosin.
Jalyn made its debut in the marketplace because of its performance in the CombAT (Combination of Avodart and Tamsulosin) study, a two-year, international, multicenter, double-blind clinical trial that involved 4,844 men with BPH.
Researchers compared the effects of dutasteride plus tamsulosin with each medication alone. The combination of medications significantly improved BPH symptoms compared to either drug alone.
The reported side effects were no surprise, given what is already known about dutasteride and tamsulosin. The most common side effects experienced by the men who took Jalyn were erectile dysfunction, reduced libido, breast enlargement and/or tenderness, ejaculation disorders, and dizziness.
Reference
GlaxoSmithKline news release, June 14, 2010
