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GlaxoSmithKline prostate drug Avodart approved for use in combination with Flomax

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline PLC said Thursday the Food and Drug Administration approved its enlarged prostate drug Avodart for use in combination with Flomax, which is made by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Astellas Pharma Inc.

While Flomax is also approved to treat enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, a two-year study showed that taking the two drugs together worked more effectively than either of the drugs alone.

Avodart works by shrinking the prostate, while Flomax helps controls symptoms, such as frequent urination.

Enlarged prostate affects half of men over 50 and 90 percent of men over 80. If left untreated, enlarged prostate can lead to hospitalization for the inability to urinate or prostate surgery.

"The combination of Avodart and tamsulosin at diagnosis allows doctors to simultaneously treat the patient's prostate on two fronts by reducing prostate size and rapidly improving symptoms," said Steven A. Kaplan, M.D., from Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University in New York City.

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