How does Viadur work?
By lowering the amount of testosterone in the body, Viadur may help relieve the pain, urinary problems, and other symptoms of prostate cancer. However, Viadur is not a cure for prostate cancer. Once Viadur is removed by your doctor, your body will start producing testosterone again. Leuprolide, the active medication in Viadur, works by reducing the testosterone produced by the testicles. This lowers the amount of testosterone in the body. Testosterone appears to be needed by prostate cancer cells. Usually prostate cancer shrinks or stops growing when the body’s supply of testosterone is lowered. The DUROS technology used for Viadur is osmotically driven. Following surgical implantation of the Viadur implant, water from surrounding tissue enters one end of the cylinder through a semipermeable membrane. This causes the osmotic engine to swell, which in turn pushes the piston toward the drug compartment, causing a release rate controlled by the inflow of water. The drug is delivered from
