Here is the entire article on Viagra-Posicor
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Monday June 8 8:19 PM EDT
Withdrawn drug dangerous with Viagra
By NEAL AUGENSTEIN
WASHINGTON, June 8 (UPI) - The maker of the just-withdrawn heart drug Posicor tells United Press International that the drug's interaction with the impotence pill Viagra could be dangerous, and a spokeswoman wonders why the Food and Drug Administration is not noting the link publicly.
The spokeswoman for Roche Laboratories says the company ''was very upfront with the FDA'' about the Viagra-Posicor danger before announcing the withdrawal, but an FDA spokesperson could not explain why Viagra was not on its list of drugs to be avoided in conjunction with Posicor.
The Nutley, N.J., company says it knows of more than 25 drugs that are potentially dangerous if used with Posicor, generically known as mibefradil. The company announced its voluntary withdrawal of the drug today.
The spokeswoman tells UPI, ''Viagra would be one of the drugs that could have an interaction with Posicor,'' but Viagra or its generic name, sildenafil citrate, does not appear on the FDA's list.
FDA spokeswoman Susan Cruzan could not explain why the agency did not include the drug in its list. However, she says the FDA is not aware of any people who have suffered adverse effects from mixing the two drugs.
The FDA statement noted Posicor reduces the activity of liver enzymes that are important in helping the body eliminate other drugs. Inhibiting these enzymes can cause other drugs to accumulate to dangerous levels.
Pfizer, Inc., the maker of Viagra, had no comment on whether any of the six men who recently died while taking the impotence pill were also taking Posicor. The spokeswoman repeated the company's statement that taking Viagra with medicines containing nitrates was dangerous.
Pfizer has stated that three of the men who died suffered from cardiovascular episodes, and three died from interactions with heart medicines.
Roche is warning patients who have been taking Posicor to avoid simply discontinuing treatment, because stopping medications can be risky. Patients are advised to contact their doctors about other forms of treatment.
Questions about the withdrawal of Posicor can be addressed to Roche's 24-hour hot line at 1-800-205-4611.
Copyright 1998 by United Press International.
All rights reserved.
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