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

To: BigKNY3 who wrote (6584)	12/30/1998 11:32:00 PM
From: BigKNY3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9523

Viagra helps shed light on impotency Allison Lim 12/08/98 The Straits Times (Singapore) Page 39 Doctors now know better how many in Asia suffer the condition as more men seek help after the launch of Viagra THE little blue pill, Viagra , has done more than just treat impotence, it has highlighted the problem of impotence worldwide. Because of the publicity generated since its April launch in the United States, more and more impotent men are coming out of the closet and going to see their doctors. In Asia, Viagra has been launched in three countries -Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore. But Singapore men will have to wait another month or so before the drug is dispensed to them. Associate Professor Li Man Kay of the National University Hospital said this was to allow time for doctors here, especially general practitioners, to be trained in assessing, counselling and following up on patients who wish to take the pill. Impotence, or what the professionals call erectile dysfunction, is basically a man's consistent failure to achieve an erection or maintain it long enough for satisfactory sex. Dr Denis Cherry, medical director of the Perth Sexuality Centre in Australia, said recent developments had given doctors in the region an unprecedented chance to discuss the problem with their impotent patients. Dr Benjamin Mendoza of the Philippines said that most Asian men "would rather ignore the symptoms than go and see a doctor". Until recently, most doctors could only guess at how many Asian men are afflicted with the condition. But Dr Ismail Tambi of the National Population & Family Development Board in Malaysia said doctors now know that as many as 14 per cent of men above the age of 18 are impotent. Nine out of 10 sufferers do not see a doctor and sometimes live with the condition for as long as 38 years. The typical sufferer, he said, is a 48-year-old man who smokes and is married or living with a partner. Dr Telesforo Gana of the Philippines said that while ageing is the main cause of impotence, conditions as different as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and depression, and even certain medications, can trigger impotence. Generally, doctors are the last people to be sought out by impotent men, who prefer to seek traditional cures first. But all that has changed somewhat since April, said Dr Mendoza. In the Philippines, he said, there has been an increase of between 200 and 300 per cent in the number of impotent men willing to discuss their problem with doctors. Doctors have also found another ally in the battle against impotence -women. In a recent Asian poll of 5,000 women from Singapore, Malaysia, Hongkong, the Philippines and Thailand, more than one-third of them were found to be urging impotent spouses to seek help and were the ones to discuss the problem with relatives and friends before their husbands did. Women in the Philippines -83 per cent -were found to be most aware of the problem. Filipino men were more willing to talk about the problem, with about 11 per cent admitting that they were impotent. Doctors are now advocating strongly that medical literature on impotence target women as well since impotence affects not just the man, but the couple. MORE SEEKING HELP VIAGRA has highlighted the problem of impotence. In the Philippines, Dr Benjamin Mendoza estimates that there has been a 200 to 300 per cent increase in the number of impotent men willing to discuss their problem with doctors since the drug was approved for sale