CarnalNation

A new drug for claw hand, a condition that causes bent fingers, may serve double-duty as a penis-straightener. Pfizer's drug Xiaflex was not approved for this, but it may provide much needed relief for those suffering from Peyronie's Disease -- a hard-to-treat condition in which the penis becomes permanently and painfully bent.

"It's a disease that's very frustrating," says Dr. Robert Davis, professor of urology at the University of Rochester, "hitting men in the prime of life," causing pain, sometimes erectile dysfunction, and making it difficult to impossible to have sexual intercourse.

The drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration Tuesday night explicitly for use against claw hand, but research suggests that Xiaflex is effective in Peyronie's patients as well. The release of the drug this spring may lead to off-label use for Peyronie's Disease. But Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the company developing the drug, says that -- as a safety precaution -- it will do everything it can to discourage off-label use of Xiaflex for Peyronie's.

In both Peyronie's and claw hand, known clinically as Dupuytren's contracture, an excess buildup of collagen creates scar tissue, preventing normal movement and functioning of the hand or penis. Peyronie's Disease, which affects an estimated 1 to 2 percent of the adult male population, is still a bit of a mystery for urologists. One cause is thought to be a poor healing response after there is trauma to the penis, but since it tends to be more common in men of northern European descent, Davis says "there's probably also a genetic component."

Xiaflex, delivered in a series of injections to the affected area, works by breaking down the excess collagen with the enzyme collagenase, providing more movement to the extremity. Bruising, pain, and swelling at the injection site has also been reported in clinical trials of Xiaflex. For the moment, doctors and patients will have to await the phase III clinical trial later in the year to see if these side effects will be a deal-breaker for the use of the drug in patients with Peyronie's. If all goes well, Auxilium says they hope to have the drug approved for Peyronie's within two years.