Combined Treatment of Benign Prostatic Syndrome with Tamsulosin and Finasteride: Literature Review and Prescription Data

The document from 2017 reviewed the combined therapy of benign prostatic syndrome (BPS) with α1-blockers and 5α-reductase (5AR)-inhibitors, specifically focusing on the combination of tamsulosin and finasteride. The review found that this combination had seen a significant increase in use since 2003, accounting for about 50% of all α1-blocker/5AR-inhibitor combinations. Clinical studies on this combination showed improvements in lower urinary tract symptoms, maximum urinary flow rate, prostate volume, and prostate-specific antigen levels, with results aligning with leading studies. However, the review noted that due to deficiencies in study design, results could be due to chance, and a reliable comparison of the risk of progression between the combination therapy and both monotherapies was lacking. Despite these limitations, the review concluded that the therapeutic practice with the combination of tamsulosin and finasteride could continue due to the great coherence and continuous evaluation of available data.