Hexanic Extract of Serenoa repens (Permixon®): A Review in Symptomatic Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

<p><b>Declarations</b></p> <p><b>Funding</b> The preparation of this review was not supported by any external funding.</p> <p><b>Authorship and Conflict of interest</b> Hannah Blair is a salaried employee of Adis International Ltd/Springer Nature, and declares no relevant conflicts of interest. All authors contributed to the review and are responsible for the article content.</p> <p> </p> <p><b>Ethics approval, Consent to participate, Consent to publish, Availability of data and material, Code availability </b>Not applicable.</p><p>Additional information about this Adis Drug Review can be found <a href="http://www.springer.com/gp/adis/products-services/adis-journals-newsletters/adis-drug-reviews"><b>here</b></a>.<br></p><p></p><p><b>Abstract</b></p> <p>The hexanic extract (HE) of <i>Serenoa repens</i> (Permixon^®) is indicated for the symptomatic treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The drug is the n-hexane lipidosterolic extract of the American dwarf palm tree (also known as saw palmetto). The anti-inflammatory activity of HE <i>S. repens</i> has been demonstrated in vitro, in vivo and in men with prostatic inflammation. In randomised clinical trials, the efficacy of HE <i>S. repens</i> was similar to that of an α-blocker in terms of improving voiding and storage symptoms, increasing urinary flow rate and reducing prostate volume in men with BPH. HE <i>S. repens</i> was also as effective as 5α-reductase inhibitors and/or α-blockers at improving lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and quality of life (QOL) in real-world observational studies. HE <i>S. repens</i> was generally well tolerated, with a lesser impact on male sexual function compared with other available therapies. Thus, HE <i>S. repens</i> is a useful option for the treatment of symptomatic BPH.</p>© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022<br><p></p>