Viagra in the News
Pfizer's Viagra Not Seen Having Dangerous Blood Pressure Effect
New Orleans, March 8 (Bloomberg) -- Pfizer Inc.'s Viagra impotence treatment causes changes in blood pressure that don't appear to be dangerous, even in men who are already on blood pressure medication, according to a new study.
None of the blood pressure changes Viagra triggered in the study of more than 1,600 patients were ''clinically relevant,'' meaning they didn't have a quantifiable impact on a patient's health or quality of life, researchers said.
''For my own practice, I've used the agent on patients on multiple hypertension drugs without any difficulty,'' said Harvard physician Randall Zusman, who presented the study data.
The data from the safety analysis was presented at a session of the American College of Cardiology meeting being held in New Orleans this week.
Patients in the study took the drug an hour before a visit to the doctor, and had their blood pressure measurements taken while Viagra could be assumed to be active in their system.
Researchers found the most common side effects were the headache, flushing and alterations in color vision which are known drawbacks to the drug.
The drug had no effect on patients' heart rates. About 40 percent of patients in the study were taking at least one medication for blood pressure.
Use With Caution
Still, Zusman said it was ''prudent'' to prescribe the drug with some caution, because it has been shown to have weak effects similar to those of a class of drugs called nitrates. Both Pfizer and the government warn that Viagra must never be taken in conjunction with nitrates.
''The critical and far more important question is what happens when they are sexually active,'' he said.
Studies are continuing to determine whether Viagra's blood pressure effects might be amplified while a patient is exerting himself through having sexual intercourse. However, those studies are complicated, because multiple sensors and 24-hour readings are needed to adequately measure changes in blood pressure during intercourse, he said.
Viagra became the world's fastest-growing prescription drug after its introduction last year in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere. The drug generated sales of $788 million between its debut the first week of April and Dec. 31.
As men rushed to pharmacies to get Viagra, though, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration received reports of misuse and deaths among people who had taken the drug.
The FDA in November strengthened warnings on Viagra's labeling after reports of ''serious adverse events'' such as heart attacks, sudden cardiac death and high blood pressure, in men who took the drug.
The new label warns that men who have a history of heart problems should be careful about resuming sexual activity and instructs doctors to be cautious when prescribing the drug to patients with underlying health problems |
