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

To: Cosmo Daisey who wrote (2067)	5/5/1998 3:14:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 9523

Eye Doctors Say More Studies Needed On Viagra May 05, 1998 2:22 PM [This article includes Pfizer's response] SAN FRANCISCO (AP)--The world's largest organization of eye doctors called for more studies into the newly approved impotence drug, Viagra, and said users with some types of eye problems should stay away from higher doses. A moderate percentage of people taking Viagra have experienced temporary vision problems, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology, meeting her this week, urged that people take the effects seriously. "FDA clinical trials show that taking the medication, especially at higher doses, can cause some retinal dysfunction and affect the way we see for a number of hours," association spokesman Dr. Michael F. Marmor said Monday. Patients reported visual disturbances described as a bluish color tinge and light sensitivity. "On the surface, seeing the world with a bluish tinge may just be annoying," Marmor said in a statement. Marmor, a professor of ophthalmology at Stanford University, said a clinical study showed that electrical measures of retinal function dropped by 30% to 50% and lasted for at least five hours after taking a high dose of Viagra. "We need to do some studies about the long-term effects of taking Viagra," he said. He suggested that users with retina problems such as macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa to "stay at the lowest dose level possible." According to the FDA, the recommended dose level for most patients is 50 mg. Dr. Ian Osterloh, a researcher for the drug's developer, Pfizer Inc. (PFE), seemed perplexed by Marmor's comments about the changes in retinal function. "I suspect there must be a misunderstanding," he said today. "The drug has been studied extensively. We have done more studies than have been reported." The American Academy of Ophthalmology has more than 23,000 members. Pfizer representatives did not immediately return calls left on an answering machine today.