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

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (6644)	1/7/1999 9:28:00 AM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9523

New drug faster than Viagra on the way In Canada next year: Vision problems lessened, safe for heart patients National Post, Jan. 4, 1999 Barbara Shecter with files from The Daily Telegraph A new anti-impotence drug billed as "twice as fast" as Viagra is headed for Britain and the United States and is expected to pop up in Canada, possibly by next year. Vasomax, a triangular, white pill, does not cause the vision problems reported by some Viagra users and is safe for heart patients who take nitrates, according to its manufacturer, Schering-Plough. While some studies show it's not as effective as Viagra, Vasomax has been successfully tested and sold in Mexico and could be for sale in Britain as early as April. Approval for sale in the United States is expected by summer, and the drug should then make its way to Canada, said Jeremy Heaton, a urologist and researcher at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont. Dr. Heaton and his colleagues are working on a "second generation" anti-impotence drug for Vaxis Therapeutics Corp. that would improve on both Viagra and Vasomax. It isn't expected to be available for a few years. Approval of anti-impotence drugs has been slower in Canada than in the U.S., said Dr. Heaton, noting Viagra was supposed to be available here last fall but was delayed until spring. "We're expecting in the next couple or three months to be talking with Schering-Plough to bring some [Vasomax] studies into Canada," he said. Studies are likely to be undertaken in Canada before Vasomax is put on sale here. And that's despite the fact U.S. research can be used to gain approval from Canada's federal Health Protection Branch. Regional studies help create a market for products by giving doctors first-hand experience with a new product, said Dr. Heaton, adding that local data are often more trusted by patients. The North American market for anti-impotence drugs is expected to reach $4-billion (US) by 2003. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Inc., the U.S. maker of Viagra, esimates that 100 million men suffer from the problem worldwide, and 30 million American men will experience it at some point in their lives. "About 40% of men aged 40 would have some episodes of erectile dysfunction and 80% of 80-year-olds," said Paul Quartey, the medical director of Schering-Plough's British operation. He thinks Vasomax could outsell Viagra because of the advantages it offers patients with heart disease. "In Mexico it is doing very well. Men say it improves orgasm and their partners report greater satisfaction," he said. "Men who do have heart disease would benefit [and] it will really offer doctors a choice." The price of Vasomax is expected to be comparable to Viagra, about £4 to £5 per 40mg tablet ($10 - $13 Cdn). Both drugs act on the blood vessels in the muscle of the penis but each tackles impotence in a different way. Vasomax overrides nerves that prevent the erectile tissue becoming engorged with blood. Viagra targets an enzyme that regulates blood flow to the penis. Pfizer, its manufacturer, warns patients not to take it with nitrates (common drugs that are used to dilate arteries in patients suffering from chest pain), which may lead to severely lowered blood pressure, a heart attack, or even death. In the U.S., at least six people have died after taking Viagra. Pfizer said it is concerned about its rival, but confident about the quality of its product. "Ours is an extremely effective compound. In a study of 5,000 men there was an efficacy of up to 82%," said Miranda Kavanagh, a director of Pfizer. Dr. Heaton said some test results he has seen show that Vasomax has a lower success rate. nationalpost.com