. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Feb 4.

Published in final edited form as: Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016 Feb 4;2:16003. doi: 10.1038/nrdp.2016.3

Table 2.

Properties of available phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors

Drug name	Trade name (company)	Peak absorption post ingestion (hours)	Serum half-life (hours)	Take on empty stomach?
Sildenafil^*	Viagra (Pfizer)	1–2	3–5	Yes
Vardenafil^*	Levitra (GlaxoSmithKline)	1–2	3–5	Yes
Tadalafil	Cialis (Lilly)	2–4	18	No
Avanafil	Stendra (Mitsubishi Tanabe)	0.5	6	No

Consider taking 1–2 hours prior to a meal.