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Biotech / Medical : VVUS: VIVUS INC. (NASDAQ) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Edderd who wrote (10286)	6/30/1998 8:02:00 PM
From: VLAD	Respond to of 23519

Edderd, Thanks for posting the report on Duract. It is interesting to note that the logic here does not agree with Viagra still being on the market. The prescriptions written for Duract after almost one year equates to about the number of Viagra scripts already written and we had only 4 deaths all of which the patients (or doctors) disregarded the label instructions to avoid use for more than 10 days. Now we have over 8 times the number of suspect Viagra related deaths and all we have is a "special comission" looking into the situation. Since Viagra is merely an erection "enhancer" and not a drug which is potentially saving a person's life would it not be prudent to pull the drug until long term studies can be done proving that Viagra is only dangerous with nitrates and that it does not damage the retina? Again, this is a matter of politics and big money ruling over safety and common sense. But the Pandora's box is now open and the wrath of Viagras lack of safety will eventually catch up with the egos at the FDA. I say that Pfizer will voluntarily pull Viagra because of all the liability issues which are starting to surface. As I pointed out earlier, the Dow Corning/silicon breast implant scenario is a good example of where not a shread of scientific evidence proved that silicon created any of the problems supposedly associated with it yet not only was the product pulled but DC paid billions in the settlement. I KNOW that some of the Viagra deaths are due to interactions with high blood pressure meds resulting in lethal hypotension. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that Viagra has peripheral vasodialting properties associated with PDE5 in the peripheral vasculature--this is exactly why nitrates are contraindicated. Now take an already unhealthy man on high blood pressure meds who takes Viagra and dies. To say that the death was not "directly" related to viagra is absolute bull shit! Had the guy not taken the Viagra he would still be alive--perhaps not perfectly healthy but alive. Those saying that the risk of death far underweighs the ability to have an erection are giving opinions not fact--let them tell this to the jury come trial day. I wouldn't count on any government agency to protect my health and well being. I only count on the government for taxes and an ability to waste my hard earned tax dollars.