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

To: BigKNY3 who wrote (4041)	7/8/1998 6:15:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 9523

London Telegraph - Viagra abuse 'will add œ1bn to NHS bill' By Celia Hall, Medical Editor Wednesday 8 July 1998 VIAGRA, the pill hailed as a cure for impotence, could be widely abused and add œ1.25 billion to the NHS bill - a quarter of the total drugs budget - doctors said yesterday. The estimate is based on two œ6 pills a week for the one man in every 10 who suffers sexual dysfunction. Doctors fear that potent men wishing only to enhance their performance will be prescribed the drug, as they have in America, where the drug was launched four months ago. They want an urgent Government review of the way newly licensed, expensive drugs are introduced to the health service. Viagra is expected to receive a British licence in September. It has not been decided if it will be available via GPs or through hospital specialists. The main problem with Viagra was that there was no easy test for impotence and doctors must trust their patients' stories, the annual conference of the British Medical Association was told in Cardiff. Dr Peter Holden, a GP from Matlock, Derbyshire, said: "It takes much courage for a man to go to his doctor with impotence, but how do we prove it and therefore his clinical need? This drug has the potential for abuse. If we continue to have drugs introduced by the media we are going to be bounced into extremely difficult decisions which will disrupt health planning." Derek Machin, a consultant urologist from Liverpool, said that in the past there had been no reason to question a patient's veracity. He said: "However, we are faced with an entirely new situation. For the first time we have an effective oral preparation and one which is seen as enhancing the performance of the already potent. Viagra will be demanded by large numbers of patients." The Government had to decide if large sums of money were to be spent on Viagra at the expense of other treatments. But Dr Ian Banks, a GP from Northern Ireland, said that doctors should not be seeking to limit the use of Viagra. He said: "We should welcome anything that improves the lot of impotent people. We should be saying we will provide this drug on the basis of clinical need and not on the basis of resource management." Dr Banks said that impotence was a scourge that led to depression, alcoholism and even suicide, affecting wives and children as well as men. Dr Nancy Dickey, a Texan GP and president of the American Medical Association who was visiting the conference, said that huge numbers of American men were taking the drug. About 12 had died from heart problems, possibly linked to taking blood pressure drugs as well. Speaking after the debate, Mr Machin said he had calculated that, if only 10 per cent of men who suffered from impotence were referred to him, it would be the equivalent of his existing annual out-patient list of 1,500. He said: "My colleague sees the same number, so it would represent half our total take-up. I should say I welcome the drug. It spells a change in the quality of life for many people. It may also affect the female population at some stage and if it is used for female sexual dysfunction the problem may be even worse." Mr Machin said there were only about 400 urologists in Britain - about the same as the number practising in Los Angeles alone. Pfizer, which makes Viagra, is now testing it on women who experience sex problems. A spokesman said that in the case of men GPs would be given full information and would easily be able to tell which were impotent and which were faking. The spokesman said: "Men who simply want to pep up their sex lives can be easily spotted. GPs will be in a position to recognise them for what they are and they will not have to burden the taxpayer with prescriptions." telegraph.co.uk

To: BigKNY3 who wrote (4041)	7/8/1998 6:18:00 PM
From: Ibexx	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9523

Where is Tuna? Ibexx

To: BigKNY3 who wrote (4041)	7/8/1998 6:20:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 9523

London Times - Doctors say that Viagra workload will cause chaos July 8 1998 BY IAN MURRAY, MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT THE virility drug Viagra is likely to be abused by those who seek to enhance their sexual performance and could add œ1 billion to the nation's drug bill, doctors said yesterday. They gave warning that the Government's plans to make the drug available only on prescriptions issued by consultants would cause chaos and make it almost impossible for the specialists concerned to do any other work. In an attempt to head off problems before the drug's expected licence in Britain in September, delegates resolved at the British Medical Association's annual meeting in Cardiff to demandg "that the Government urgently review the mechanisms for the introduction into clinical practice of newly licensed expensive drugs". The NHS spends œ5.5 billion on drugs each year. If Viagra were prescribed to the estimated two million impotent men in Britain, the cost would use up a fifth of that amount. Tessa Jowell, the Public Health Minister, has announced that Viagra will be available on the NHS for those who clinically need it. Experts at the conference said that would mean at least one man in ten would qualify. The pills are likely to cost œ6 each and a doctor would probably prescribe a patient two a week. Since no foolproof tests for impotence exist, even a specialist would have to take a patient's word that he was suffering from erectile dysfunction. "Thus far there has never been any reason to doubt the veracity of a patient who claimed he was impotent," said Derek Machin, from Liverpool, who is one of the 400 urologists in Britain. "We are now facing an entirely different situation. For the first time, an effective oral preparation is available which is perceived as enhancing performance of the already potent. It will become a major drug of abuse. "It will be demanded by large numbers of patients, firstly by men but shortly afterwards by women. The cost will be enormous. I think there are more important priorities for spending but that is a decision the Government will have to make." He said the abuse would occur because many people who were not impotent would think their performance would be enhanced by taking the drug. "If people pay for it privately and it is not doing them any harm I would have no problems with it but if society at large is paying then I have a problem." If only 10 per cent of the impotent men in Liverpool were referred to him by their GP, it would double his workload. Peter Holden, a Derbyshire GP, said that if he were to send his impotent patients to a hospital for assessment, it would take an entire urological team three months to see them all, leaving no time for them to do anything else. If they were prescribed the drug, it would add œ125,000 to his practice's allocated drugs budget. "This drug has a high potential for abuse," he said. "If we carry on having drugs introduced by the media instead of by letters to the professions, we are going to be bounced into a very difficult position." John Chisholm, chairman of the GPs' committee, said impotence caused huge distress: "It would be wrong to regard it as a recreation drug rather than one to treat a clinical need." The drug needed to be made available on the NHS but the Government would have to make an extra budget allowance over and above the extra œ6 billion that the BMA claims the NHS needs already. Delegates at the BMA conference also decided to open a national debate to discover whether the public wants them to be allowed to help terminally ill patients to commit suicide. Delegates overwhelmingly rejected the idea that they should be forced to obey patients' requests to be allowed to die. But they backed a motion from junior doctors calling for a special conference to thrash out a consensus on the issue. Physician-assisted suicide is illegal but there is a grey area because many painkilling drugs also have the effect of shortening the life of seriously ill people. John Marks, former BMA chairman, who is a GP in London, summed up the life-or-death dilemma that doctors were increasingly facing: "In over 40 years in practice I have never deliberately killed a patient. "But I have given them huge doses of drugs knowing full well I was shortening their lives. When my time comes, I want a doctor who will give me a lot of assistance." The meeting overwhelmingly backed a call to set up a working party which will produce guidelines. the-times.co.uk

To: BigKNY3 who wrote (4041)	7/8/1998 6:24:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 9523

Vivus seeks partner in face of Viagra competition Wednesday July 8, 6:03 pm Eastern Time MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 8 (Reuters) - Drug company Vivus Inc. (VVUS - news) said Wednesday it is seeking a partner to promote its impotence drug Muse in the United States due to strong competition from the blockbuster drug Viagra . The company said in a statement it will restructure its sales staff resulting in a one-time second quarter charges of $6.5 million and make unspecified job cuts. Viagra, made by Pfizer Inc. (PFE - news) and the first oral drug for impotence, has become one of the most popular prescription drugs since its launch a few months ago. Sales of Vivus' Muse system, which involves placing a pellet into the tip of the penis, have declined since the launch of Viagra as Vivus fought a losing battle to convince consumers that its product works better on those with a moderate to severe problem. Vivus claims that its drug has fallen victim to the advertising frenzy attached to Viagra among both the public and the medical community. ''The primary care physician (PCP) (has become) an important component in the treatment of erectile dysfunction,'' President and Chief Executive Leland Wilson said in a statement. ''Due to patient demand generated by the media, many PCPs are actively prescribing erectile dysfunction treatments.'' The company said it will seek out a partner with strong contacts in the PCP market to revive Muse. Vivus said its 74 urology sales representatives will move to Alza Corp (AZA - news). Vivus was spun off as a separate public company from Alza in 1991. They will continue to sell Muse on a limited basis until December 31. Vivus has also terminated its agreement with Innovex Inc. (INVX - news), which had been providing a contract sales force. The moves are part of an effort to reduce costs and return to profits. The company said the job cuts would affect its administration, research and development, clinical and marketing departments. biz.yahoo.com

To: BigKNY3 who wrote (4041)	7/8/1998 11:43:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9523

BigKNY3 and all, the following are excerpts from a 8:23 pm Reuters story on VVUS: biz.yahoo.com ''Our treatment is obviously more technique-dependent than popping a pill,'' Wilson said, but added that he hoped the drug's safety record would help it regain market share. ''I take exception to the idea that renewed sexual activity leads to more deaths,'' he said. ''They don't die on Muse.'' Wilson said the safety record of Muse beat Viagra's hands down, noting only one patient has died from Muse after more than 1 million prescriptions written since its launch in January 1997. By comparison more than 30 deaths have been attributed to Viagra's more than 2 million prescriptions. ''I'm selling the wonderful safety record of Muse ... this has a marvelous safety profile,'' Wilson said. These guys are desperate. Haven't the FDA said that they are satisfied with the safety of Viagra? And Vivus is still using this angle to sell their drug? This is equivalent to mud-slinging. I'm sure that Muse and Viagra could co-exist, and some ED sufferers not helped by Viagra could be helped by Muse, but attacking Viagra won't bring them more sales.