PHARMACEUTICAL APPLICATION OF 15- OR 16- SUBSTITUTED TESTOSTERONE ANALOGUES

摘要

The present invention relates to pharmaceutical dosage units for oral, transmucosal or transdermal administration containing 15- or 16-substituted testosterone analogues, as well as to therapeutic methods that employ these testosterone analogues. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with such pharmaceutical dosage units containing at least 10 µg of an androgenic steroid selected from the group consisting of 15-hydroxytestosterones, 16-hydroxytestosterones, precursors thereof and mixtures of these hydroxytestosterones and/or their precursors; and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient. The term "15-hydroxytestosterones" encompasses both 15alpha-hydroxytestosterone (15alpha, 17beta-dihydroxy-4-androsten-3-one) and 15beta-hydroxytestosterone (15beta, 17beta-dihydroxy-4­androsten-3-one). Similarly, the term "16-hydroxytestosterones" encompasses both 16alpha-hydroxytestosterone hydroxytestosterone (16alpha, 17beta-dihydroxy-4-androsten-3-one) and 16beta­hydroxytestosterone (16beta, 17beta-dihydroxy-4-androsten-3-one). The androgenic steroids according to the invention are advantageously employed in e.g. a method of treating or preventing androgen deficiency or a method of hormonal contraception.