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Biotech / Medical : Pharma News Only (pfe,mrk,wla, sgp, ahp, bmy, lly) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (794)	9/14/1998 6:56:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 1722

Things are looking up . . . Viagra's here (The Australian News Network) Tuesday 15 September, 1998 By BELINDA HICKMAN IF you believe the hype, it is an important drug for society - a magnificent thing for mankind that will bring families back together and herald the beginning of a new era in treatment. The cure for cancer, dementia or heart disease? Hardly. Despite the rhetoric, yesterday brought a much-anticipated milestone for some of the estimated 10 per cent of Australian men who have difficulties attaining or maintaining an erection. It was the day the impotence pill Viagra was launched on the Australian market and the nation's pharmacies were busy stocking shelves in expectation of high demand. Australian Sexual Health Centre specialist Michael Lowy said men had been anticipating the drug's release for weeks. "We had just a handful of extra inquiries today, but I expect the next few weeks are going to be busy," he said. Relief for impotence problems certainly won't come cheaply. A packet of four 50mg or 100mg tablets - which manufacturer Pfizer expects will be enough for about one month of sexual activity - will cost about $70. (Although it may become cheaper if the company's application to list it on the subsidised Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is accepted.) Each tablet is effective for about four hours. Unprecedented publicity has surrounded Viagra's release. Pfizer senior associate medical director Michael Sweeney said four million prescriptions had been written for the drug in the US since its April launch. In Australia, the Government ensured Viagra's approval was fast-tracked because of increasing demand and fears of a blackmarket. Pfizer has taken the unusual step of including a hologram on the packet to ensure patients receive "the real thing" - due to the Internet market and generic manufacturers. Australian specialist Richard Gilbert said international trials had shown Viagra helped correct erectile dysfunction in about 80 per cent of men. "But it has no effect on sexual desire, it doesn't cause anything that is not physiological," he said. People with heart conditions or those taking nitrate medications cannot take Viagra, Dr Gilbert said. Many patients describe the pill in "miracle cure" terms. It has certainly put a spring in Arthur Greaves's step and a sparkle in his 33-year marriage. The 55-year-old retiree's self-confidence plummeted when impotence became a problem at age 42. "I became dissatisfied with myself, aggressive and often volatile," he said. Mr Greaves said "all Viagra does is help the system to work the way it's meant to". "It is not an aphrodisiac and sometimes it doesn't work. It depends on how you feel today," he said. "Even a good stud might not work when he is feeling run down." yahoo.com.au

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (794)	9/14/1998 6:59:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1722

Pill's not for party poppers (The Australian News Network) Tuesday 15 September, 1998 VIAGRA would not be used as a "party pill" in Australia because the drug did not increase potency in healthy men, doctors said yesterday. Abuse of the drug has been widely reported in the United States among affluent men taking advantage of lax prescription procedures. But the Australian Medical Association said yesterday Australian men who do not suffer from impotency would be wasting money on Viagra. "There's not much in it for anybody who functions normally," AMA federal president David Brand said. "If you do then you don't need the tablet. I think it (abuse) is unlikely because Viagra costs a lot of money and is not an aphrodisiac." The drug was legally available for the first time in Sydney yesterday. Dr Brand said many patients needing the drug would already be using the injection treatment Caverject and have a recorded medical history of impotency. For new cases of impotency a doctor would make a thorough assessment - including talking about other possible causes such as alcoholism and diabetes - and check blood pressure. Dr Richard Gilbert, an expert on impotency, said healthy men who wanted to try the drug would face unnecessary consultation and cost for a drug which tests suggested would not increase potency. Dr Gilbert said Viagra was a drug for men with serious medical problems and it was important the drug was not considered recreational. "But I think doctors are pretty good at discerning between what's genuine and what is not," he said. An expected rush for the drug in Sydney yesterday did not eventuate at many pharmacies. Jody Sayer, manager of Chatswood Medical Centre Pharmacy, said while there had been about 50 inquiries during the past two months nobody bought a sample yesterday. Bondi Junction pharmacist Peter Fuzes said he sold three of his six units and was surprised there had not been bigger demand. Viagra manufacturer Pfizer has applied to have the drug included under PBS and believes this would help to reduce the cost. yahoo.com.au