Viadur (leuprolide acetate implant) is a palliative treatment for advanced prostate cancer that ensures continuous, reliable 12-month leuprolide delivery with a single treatment. In two open-label, multicenter non-comparative studies, 131 patients with prostate cancer were treated with Viadur and evaluated for up to two years.^{1, 2, 3}

Following the initial insertion of the implant, mean serum testosterone concentrations decreased to castrate levels within two to four weeks in 99 percent of the patients in the study. Testosterone was below the castrate threshold between weeks two and four in all but one patient, following the expected initial increase. Continuous androgen reduction in this patient occurred at week 28. Once serum testosterone reduction was achieved, there were 0% testosterone breakthroughs for the duration of the 12-month treatment phase.

In clinical trials, the most common systemic side effects reported with Viadur were vasodilation (hot flashes) (67.9 %), gynecomastia (6.9 %) and sweating (5.3 %). Other systemic side effects experienced with Viadur were asthenia (7.6 %) and depression (5.3 %).

Local application site reactions reported by patients after insertion or removal of the implant included bruising (34.6 %) and burning (5.6 %). The majority of local reactions associated with initial insertion or removal and insertion of a new implant began and resolved within the first two weeks. Local reactions persisted in 9.3% of patients; 10.3% of patients developed local reactions 2 weeks after insertion.