the drug proscar has been shown to reduce the need for surgery to treat enlarged prostrate glands. In a new study, the men who took the drug required prostrate-reduction surgery only half as often as did those on dummy pills. Proscar, known generically as finasteride, is already one of the most widely-prescribed prostrate drugs.

While it has been shown to reduce prostrate symptoms, such as troubled urinating, the latest study is the first clear evidence that this drug actually lessens the likelihood of surgery.

The study was directed by John D McConnell of the University of Texas, usa , and was commissioned by Merck, the company that manufactures the wonderdrug. The study was conducted on 3,040 men with prostrate enlargement, a condition doctors call benign prostatic hyperplasia