Approved drugs
Approved drugs
Treatments may aim to cure prostate disease or to halt or alleviate symptoms. You may receive a single treatment or a combination of treatments depending on your specific disease or symptoms, your age, and your overall health. Regarding prostate cancer, treatment will be based on the stage and grade of the disease you have, in other words, on the extent and pace of cancer spread.
This section provides information on medications currently approved by Health Canada. We will update this page as Health Canada approves new molecules for the treatment of prostate-related diseases, including cancer.
Drugs used in hormone therapy
The most common LH-RH analogues are:
- Leuprolide (Lupron, Lupron Depot, Eligard)
- Goserelin (Zoladex)
- Buserelin (Suprefact)
- Triptorelin (Trelstar)
The LH-RH antagonists are:
- Degarelix (Firmagon)
- Relugolix (Orgovyx)
The most common anti-androgens are:
- Bicalutamide (Casodex)
- Flutamide (Euflex)
- Cyproterone acetate (Androcur)
- Nilutamide (Anandron)
New generation of hormone therapy
- Abiraterone acetate (Zytiga)
- Apalutamide (Erleada)
- Enzalutamide (Xtandi)
- Darolutamide (Nubeqa)
Medications used in chemotherapy
- Docetaxel (Taxotere)
- Cabazitaxel (Jevtana)
- Mitoxantrone (Teva)
- Prednisone or Prednisolone
Medications used to treat symptoms related to bone metastases
- Denosumab (Xgeva)
- Zoledronic acid (Zometa)
- Alendronate (Fosamax)
- Pamidronate (Aredia)
Targeted therapies
- Olaparib (Lynparza)
- Niraparib/Abiraterone acetate (Akeega)
- Radium-223 dichloride (Xofigo)
- Lutetium (177Lu) (Pluvicto)
Nuclear imaging
- 68Ga PSMA PET (Illuccix)
5-α-reductase inhibitors
- Finasteride (Proscar)
- Dutasteride (Avodart)
α-blockers
- Tamsulosin (Flomax)
- Alfuzosin (Xatral)
- Silodosin (Rapaflo)
- Terazosin (Hytrin)
- Doxazosin (Cardura)
Anticholinergics
- Oxybutynin (Ditropan®) & (Ditropan XL®)*
- (Oxytrol®)*
- (Uromax®)
- Oxybutynin chloride gel (Gelnique®)
- Tolterodine (Detrol LA®) & (Detrol®)*
- Trospium chloride (Trosec®)
- Solifenacin (Vesicare®)
- Darifenacin (Enablex®)
- OnabotulinumtoxinA (Botox®)
- Fesoterodine (Toviaz®)
- Mirabegron (Myrbetriq®)
Tricyclic antidepressants
- Imipramine (Tofranil®)
*Most prescribed medications
Fluoroquinolone – Quinolone
- Ciprofloxacin (Cipro®) & (Cipro XL®)
- Levofloxacin (Levaquin®)
- Norfloxacin (Norflox®)
- Ofloxacin (Oflox®)
- Ampicillin
Sulfonamide
- TMP-SMX (Septra DS®)
- TMP (Apo-Trimethoprim®)
Others
- Nitrofurantoin (Macrobid®)
- Nitrofurantoin (Novo-Furantoin®)
β-lactams
- Amoxicillin-clavulanate K (Clavulin®)
Cephalosporins
- Cefadroxil (Duricef®)
- Cefprozil (Cefzil®)
- Cephalexin (Cephalexin®)
Erectile dysfunction
Inhibitors of phosphodiesterase type 5 or PDE-5
- Tadalafil
- Vardenafil
- Sildenafil
Penile injections
- Caverject
- TriMix
- QuadMix
MUSE Applicator*
*Out of stock in Canada
Additional Information - Treatment options

Radical surgery with Kevin Zorn
Learn about robotic radical surgery for prostate cancer and whether it is an option for you.

External radiation or Brachytherapy?
Explore the benefits and considerations of each treatment option for prostate cancer to determine which might be right for you.

Understanding HIFU treatment for localized prostate cancer
HIFU treatment (High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound), a type of focal therapy, is an innovative approach for treating intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer that is well-visualized on MRI. Although widely used globally, mainly in private clinics or within strict research frameworks, it remains relatively uncommon in Quebec and Canada. It is not yet recognized as a standard treatment […]

I have 4 treatment options; confused, you say?
If being diagnosed with prostate cancer is a massive blow for men, the treatment options can quickly become a headache…

Me a guinea pig?
Did you know that participating in a clinical trial advances medical science and improves the lot of patients for future generations?

Active surveillance in 5 points
As surprising as it may seem, your doctor may prefer to wait before starting treatment.

If I had been given the choice
If I had been given the choice, I would have opted for active surveillance! Rest assured that if your prostate cancer has little risk of progressing and you are a good candidate, the active surveillance option will be offered to you. Indeed, in many cases, it is not necessary to treat this type of cancer. […]

The importance of medical monitoring
Have you been or are currently being treated for prostate cancer? In such a case, it pays to know the facts to fully understand the importance of medical monitoring. After a diagnosis of cancer, you will normally be followed by your urologist for several years. Depending on your type of cancer and treatment, this follow-up […]

Why am I receiving hormone therapy?
Why am I receiving hormone therapy? Has your doctor recommended hormone therapy to treat your prostate cancer? Prostate cancer is a hormone-sensitive type of cancer, meaning its development is stimulated by male hormones: androgens and, more particularly, testosterone. Hormone therapy works by preventing your body from making or using these hormones, which stops your cancer from growing […]

Prostate cancer: Advances in radiation therapy
If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, your doctor will consider many factors before recommending the best treatment. For many of you, this may mean external and/or internal radiation therapy. There are also advances in radiation therapy. These include more sensitive and specific functional imaging called PET PSMA, new and more effective hormone therapies, […]

Permanent brachytherapy: What exactly is it?
Permanent brachytherapy often called low dose rate brachytherapy, administers very small doses of radiation. They are emitted from small sources containing radioactive iodine, called “iodine 125”. These sources look like grains of rice. They stay in your prostate forever. However, their radioactivity decreases over time. After 6 months, 95% of the radioactivity has disappeared. The presence of these sources does not cause any long […]
Sources and references
Last medical and editorial review: April 2024. See our web page validation committee and our collaborators by clicking here