dailynews.yahoo.com
Tuesday August 1 10:23 AM ET
Viagra May Be Effective Diabetes Disorder
Treatment
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The anti-impotence drug Viagra may also be an
effective remedy for a digestive condition common among diabetics, the Wall
Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
The condition blocks or slows the passage of food from the stomach to the
intestine.
In its electronic edition, the Journal said a study by researchers at Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine found that Viagra appears to cause
an important muscle in the digestive tract to relax in much the way it prompts
a muscle in the penis to ease and facilitate an erection.
The drug has only been tested in diabetic mice, the newspaper reported, but the results were so encouraging
that a pilot study to try it on men and women will be launched as soon as next month.
The problem, known as gastroparesis, affects up to 75 percent of diabetics, causing bloating, loss of appetite
and in some cases vomiting and dehydration, the Journal said.
Gastroparesis also can complicate efforts to control blood-sugar levels with medication because it disrupts the
timing of the digestive process, according to the newspaper.Th drug's manufacturer, Pfizer, did not sponsor the
research, which was funded by the US Public Health Service and other non-corporate sources. The study
appears in August's Journal of Clinical Investigation, the Wall Street Journal said.
Shares of Pfizer closed Monday at 43-1/8, off a year high of 49-1/4 but up from a low of 30. |
