Hong Kong - Viagra peps up most sex lives in trial
South China Morning Post
Saturday September 19 1998
RHONDA LAM WAN
Four in five Hong Kong men with impotency problems had their sex lives improved by
taking Viagra in a trial.
And some of the "guinea pigs" were so pleased with the sex drug that they fiddled their
results to pocket extra tablets to use later on.
Preliminary results of trials, in which 258 men from Hong Kong, Thailand and
Indonesia took part, show that 81 per cent of those taking Viagra reported improved
erections while 68 per cent had successful intercourse.
Sixty-four Hong Kong men aged 26 to 77, who had suffered impotence for at least six
months, were chosen for the trial. They were all patients from the Queen Mary, Prince
of Wales and Kwong Wah hospitals.
The men were divided into two groups, with 33 taking Viagra and 31 placebos.
Neither doctors nor patients knew which people were taking the real drug.
Research leader Peter Chan Siu-foon, of the Prince of Wales Hospital, said the results
showed the drug was effective and safe, in line with US studies.
"Our results in Asia show the effectiveness of the drug across racial lines," he said.
Dr Chan said the data had been handed to the chief pharmacist from the Department of
Health, which was handling the drug's registration. A spokesman said no final decision
had been made Viagra sales in Hong Kong.
Dr Chan said most side-effects reported were mild, with 15 per cent of the Viagra
group experiencing flushes and 13 per cent headaches.
It is estimated that 200,000 men in Hong Kong suffer from impotence, but doctors
believe others would come forward if the drug was made available.
Dr Andrew Yip Wai-chun, of Kwong Wah Hospital, said: "Since the release of the
drug in March, we have been flooded with patients' inquiries saying they would like to
volunteer for the trial and asking when the drug would be available in Hong Kong.
"Some of the those taking part in the clinical trial even intentionally wrongly reported
their consumption in an attempt to keep some pills for personal use later," he said.
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