Thanks for the work Betty.
A new note from the East. By the time these regulatory bodies get to approve Viagra they will have to step over the bodies from the smugglers trade.
TOKYO (AP) - A Japanese man died this month after taking Viagra he had received from a friend, health officials said Wednesday. It was Japan's first reported death of a man who had taken Viagra.
Viagra is undergoing clinical tests in Japan and has not yet been approved for sale.
In the United States, at least 30 Viagra users have died. Its manufacturer, Pfizer Inc., and the Food and Drug Administration point out that users are often elderly and have other health problems.
The Health and Welfare Ministry said the Japanese man who died in early July was suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes and irregular pulse and that he was taking other medicine, including nitroglycerin.
The man, in his 60s, went to a hospital by ambulance 2 hours and 20 minutes after taking a Viagra pill and died an hour later. He had sexual intercourse after taking the drug, the ministry said.
The statement said the man received the Viagra from a friend, but gave no further details.
Although Viagra is not approved for sale in Japan, the ministry can't take any measures against individuals importing the medicine from the United States.
Masato Akiyama of Digital Information Service, a Japanese importer, said individuals can import Viagra legally in amounts that would last a month or less.
He said an imported bottle of 30 tablets sells for 60,000 to 80,000 yen ($429 to $517). In the United States, Viagra costs about $8 to $10 per pill.
''Because of the mass media's influence, it is popular among the Japanese. But most Japanese lack knowledge about the medicine,'' Akiyama said.
AP-NY-07-15-98 1345EDT |
