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Biotech / Medical : PFE (Pfizer) How high will it go? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (1866)	4/30/1998 5:40:00 PM
From: LWolf	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9523

NJ, The Star Ledger: "Welcome to the Viagra era" by columnist Kathleen O'Brien: 04/30/98 * * * * * At this rate, you and I will soon be the only people in the country not taking Viagra. The new anti-impotence pill is flying off the shelves at the pace of 15,000 prescriptions a day. And this is before a single TV commercial. Viagra works by blocking an enzyme that thwarts erections. (And might I say right here that I feel much better about the concept of animal testing now that I've read that rats got to test Viagra. While it doesn't make up for all the carcinogens we've force-fed them over the years, it's a very good start.) But doctors aren't sure if every patient seeking Viagra truly suffers from some clinical ailment that requires the intervention of modern medicine. A good many of these patients may simply be guys who feel more is better in any and all things. In short, a drug that was designed to turn inadequate performance into adequate may end up being used to turn adequate into bionic. (Although researchers are intrigued by the possibility the drug could help women, at this stage that's an unknown.) Until now, the shame and heartbreak of impotence have caused its victims to suffer in silence -- an era we may soon look back upon with nostalgic fondness. For given the human tendency for sexual boasting, folks will either start bragging that they're on Viagra, or start bragging that they aren't. Either way, I doubt we're going to like it. We may soon see single guys sporting gold chains with a big "V" to alert the ladies that they're in for something really very special. (Of course, the pharmaceutical companies are not delving into the details of what happens if a man takes a dose of Viagra and doesn't have sex. Talk about all dressed up and no place to go.) On the other hand, we also can probably expect that others will find a way to slip into the conversation that they are perfectly capable of leading a Viagra-free life, thank you very much. The most revolutionary impact of this little pill may not be on enzyme levels, but rather on timing. For get this: In order to be effective, Viagra must be taken an hour or two before sex. That means Viagra will be for men what birth control has always been for women: a medical intervention that requires advance preparation. In short, men will have to plan ahead for sex. (Barroom conversation, circa 2001: "Hiya, sailor, new in town?" "Yes. And bartender, could I have a glass of water?") For men, Hope has heretofore sprung eternal. Now, it will have to take a pill an hour or two before the appropriate level of springing is to occur. Then comes the wait. And here is where Viagra may turn into a life-altering experience for some. Since the woman will presumably be waiting as well, Viagra will likely have the non-medical consequence of generating at least an hour's worth of small talk and foreplay. I can see women everywhere throwing up their hands in amazement of the self-evident: "Who wouldn't have better sex under those circumstances?" ------------------- laura