Cialis is a prescription drug for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). Cialis is the brand name of the drug tadalafil. This medication is known technically as a “reversible phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor”. PDE5 inhibitors increase blood flow to the genitals. More information on how Cialis works is available here. Cialis functions the same way as other PDE5 inhibitors in the treatment of ED. Viagra, Levitra and Cialis are all PDE5 inhibitors. As with other ED drugs, Cialis is only effective during sexual stimulation. The mere act of taking Cialis will not cause an erection in men. Perhaps Cialis can best be defined by comparing and contrasting it with its competitors, Viagra and Levitra:
Cialis is the first joint product of Lilly, an Indiana based pharmaceutical company and ICOS, a biotechnical firm located in Washington state. The search for an effective erectile dysfunction drug began in 1993 when ICOS began researching IC351, a compound which inhibits the PDE5 enzyme. The following year ICOSS receives the first patent on IC351 and in 1995 clinical trials start.
Two years later in 1997, ICOS conducts its first study in patients with...