Veterans Affairs Reaches Decision on Viagra
PR Wire
July 23, 1998, 1:37 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON, July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) today announced it would not add Viagra to its formulary, the drugs that
must be available at all VA medical treatment facilities.
VA long has offered veterans a broad range of treatments for erectile
dysfunction, and it will continue to offer these therapies while assessing any
new approaches. However, the cost of Viagra would have a crippling effect on
VA's pharmaceutical budget at anticipated levels of use.
"VA must weigh all factors when considering its benefits package," VA
Under Secretary for Health Dr. Kenneth W. Kizer said. "VA projects that the
cost of providing Viagra could exceed $280 million annually, which would
represent more than a fifth of VA's total pharmaceutical budget."
In addition, a VA pharmacy committee recently reviewed safety issues
pertinent to VA's patient population and recommended against adding Viagra to
VA's formulary because of safety concerns about the product in VA's patient
population. Viagra may interact with numerous medications, and its safety in
patients with the kind of complex medical problems commonly experienced by the
patients VA treats, has not been demonstrated, the pharmacy committee advised
Dr. Kizer.
Omitting Viagra from the national formulary limits its availability but
does not ban its use in VA. Where a physician at a medical center feels that
there is an overwhelming therapeutic rationale to use Viagra, network
officials may decide to provide the drug "off formulary," following locally
established criteria.
SOURCE U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
-0- 07/23/98
/CONTACT: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Public Affairs,
202-273-5700/
CO: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
ST: District of Columbia
IN: HEA MTC
SU: EXE
-0- (PRN) Jul/23/98 13:22
EOS (PRN) Jul/23/98 13:22 86
-0- (PRN) Jul/23/ 98 13:37 |
