Viagra wins Canadian OK
Calgary Herald
Saturday 27 February 1999
Mark Lowey and Robert Walker, Calgary Herald
Things are looking up for Canadian men who need a boost below.
The anti-impotence pill Viagra has received medical approval and could get
a drug-information number in March, a Health Canada official said on Friday.
"For all men, it's great news," said Dr. Curtis Bell, a Calgary family
physician. "The major hurdle is passed" to the drug being OK'd for sale in
Canada.
Viagra, the first pill for erectile dysfunction, became the biggest-selling drug
in the U.S. after being introduced a year ago. Made by Pfizer, it is available
in more than 50 countries.
About three million Canadian men have sexual problems, studies show.
But while the little blue pill soon may give Alberta men a lift, it probably will
lighten their wallets.
It looks unlikely the drug will be paid for by Alberta Blue Cross
government-funded programs for seniors and others.
Health Minister Halvar Jonson said there are many drugs for which Alberta
Health does not pay, because government does not consider them
medically necessary.
If Viagra is not deemed medically necessary by the expert committee which
examines all new drugs being considered for payment, it is unlikely it will be
approved, Jonson said.
The costs of government-funded drug plans have escalated during the past
10 years.
The bill is now $216 million for non-hospital drugs.
Dr. Neil Graham, chairman of the expert committee, said his first
impression of Viagra "is that it's going to be a relatively low priority." But
there are diabetics and those who have had prostate surgery who may have
disabilities for which the drug could be authorized, he said
A recommendation likely would be made at one of the committee's
meetings in May or July and a decision announced Oct. 1.
"That one's going to be a bit of a hot potato," Bell predicted.
Alberta Health spokesman Garth Norris said that while he won't pre-judge
the expert committee's advice, "of course, we don't fund drugs that are not
medically necessary."
Cost versus the benefit received would be another factor, Norris added.
Alberta Blue Cross is developing a policy on how Viagra might be covered
by private insurance plans.
Group plans are available to some employers that can be customized for a
range of benefits, including drugs, said Susan Bramm of Blue Cross. "Many
of our plans, for example, do cover oral contraceptives."
Before Viagra can be sold, it still has to be scrutinized by the bureau of
pharmaceutical assessment and pass labelling requirements, said Dr. Hans
Heich, a Health Canada medical evaluator.
Viagra must have a drug identification number before Pfizer can import it
from its manufacturing site in France, put a Canadian price on it (it costs
$14 US a pill south of the border), and lobby the provinces and insurance
companies for coverage.
The pill is a novel alternative to the pumps, needles, suppositories and other
invasive techniques used to stimulate blood flow in the penis needed to
achieve and maintain an erection.
Calgarians are asking for Viagra and some have travelled to the U.S. to get
it, Bell said.
"I think it'll become a popular drug," he added. "It's so much easier to use
than other methods or treatments for erection."
The initial target for Viagra's approval in Canada was the end of December.
That was delayed because of adverse reactions.
As well, more than 170 deaths worldwide have been linked to Viagra,
although there's no conclusive evidence that the pill was to blame. The
deaths most commonly involved patients using medications called nitrates,
such as nitroglycerine, for heart disease.
Bell said he expects that when Viagra is approved for sale, doctors will be
cautioned not to prescribe it to anyone taking nitrates.
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