A novel testosterone 2% gel for the treatment of hypogonadal males

Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) can improve the symptoms, signs, and well being of hypogonadal men by restoring serum testosterone concentrations to physiologic levels. This multicenter, open-label noncomparative trial of men with hypogonadism evaluated the pharmacokinetic profile and safety of a novel testosterone 2% gel (FortestaTM Gel), administered once daily to the front and inner thighs at starting doses of 40 mg/d. The metered-dose delivery system allowed dose adjustments in 10-mg increments between 10 and 70 mg/d. Of the 149 patients enrolled, 138 patients (92.6%) completed the study and 129 patients (86.6%) were included in the efficacy analysis. On day 90, mean testosterone concentration (C_avg [0-24 hours] ± SD) was 438.6 ± 162.5 ng/dL. Overall, 100 (77.5%) patients achieved serum total testosterone concentrations within the normal physiologic range (≥300 and ≤1140 ng/dL). On day 90, mean testosterone C_max (±SD) was 827.6 ± 356.5 ng/dL. On day 90, a total of 122 patients (94.6%) had C_max levels of 1500 ng/dL or less and 2 patients (1.6%) had values between 1800 and 2500 ng/dL. Similar results for C_avg (0-24 hours) and C_max were observed on day 35. All enrolled patients were included in the safety analysis. Testosterone 2% gel was generally well tolerated, with the most common adverse events (AE) being mild and moderate skin reactions. There were no serious AEs related to testosterone 2% gel. Once-daily testosterone 2% gel restored levels of testosterone in more than 75% of patients, with low risk of supraphysiologic testosterone levels. Patients may find this a suitable option for TRT because of its application site and low volume.