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

To: Bull-like who wrote (7291)	3/24/1999 7:35:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 9523

Viagra available in Canada Thursday CBC News WebPosted Wed Mar 24 19:12:05 1999 OTTAWA - Canadian men who suffer from erectile dysfunction now have a new form of relief available to them. The manufacturer of Viagra, Pfizer Canada, says it will be available in Canadian stores on Thursday morning. The impotence drug was recently approved by the federal government. It's hitting store shelves sooner than expected. Viagra will be available only by prescription. It will cost as much as $13 a tablet, plus dispensing fees. It's estimated that more than 2 million Canadian men suffer from erectile dysfunction, usually caused by age-related illnesses. The drug's manufacturer says it expects about 300,000 men will seek treatment in the first nine months of Viagra's availability. Viagra improves blood flow to the penis. A pill is taken about 45 minutes before anticipated sexual activity. It has been associated with some deaths in the United States. cbcnews.cbc.ca

To: Bull-like who wrote (7291)	3/25/1999 11:57:00 AM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 9523

Viagra makes its debut today Anti-impotence pill hits stores one week early March 25, 1999 By Theresa Boyle Toronto Star Health Reporter The anti-impotence pill Viagra is making a premature Canadian debut. The pill will be on Toronto drugstore shelves today, a week earlier than expected, after employees at pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Canada Inc. worked around the clock to bring it to market. ''We wanted to make the product available as quickly as possible,'' Pfizer vice-president John Carkner said yesterday. After the drug received federal approval earlier this month, Pfizer added an extra shift of 15 employees to its plant in Arnprior, near Ottawa. They have been working weekends and through the night. 'One of our pleas is that . . . guys don't give it to a friend at the club.' - Dr. Jack Barkin Toronto urologist The drug is expected to cost $12 to $13 per tablet, excluding dispensing fees. Pharmacies across the country are expecting a swell of eager customers. As many as 3 million Canadian men suffer from erectile dysfunction; 10 per cent seek treatment, according to Pfizer. (These figures come from U.S. studies, scaled down for the Canadian population.) Medis Health and Pharmaceutical Services received supplies of Viagra yesterday at 15 of its drug distribution centres across Canada, including one in Mississauga. ''We're ready to go. Each centre has received a shipment of Viagra, which is ready to be delivered to customers (drugstores),'' said Annie Lalonde, spokesperson for the company based in St. Laurent, Que. ''We've had lots of calls, lots of inquiries,'' said pharmacist Barbara Jotham of Snowdon Pharmacy on Bloor St. W., who has already placed an order for the drug. ''The demand has been here ever since people heard it was coming to Canada.'' Dr. Jack Barkin, a urologist who served as a Canadian clinical investigator in Viagra trials, has written as many as 60 prescriptions in the last six months for patients who have gone south of the border to fill them. In the last two weeks, he's written another 100 prescriptions for men who plan to purchase the drug here. ''People have called this the Prozac for the penis,'' he quipped, referring to the best-selling antidepressant. Since its release in the U.S. a year ago, Viagra has become the fastest selling drug in the history of medicine, said Barkin, chief of urology at Humber River Regional Hospital. Some 7 million prescriptions have been written in the States for about 3 million patients. Erectile dysfunction is a ''huge problem,'' Barkin said. ''It's not a life-threatening disorder, but it's definitely . . . quality of life-threatening and relationship-threatening.'' Viagra should only be prescribed after thorough consultation between a doctor and patient, he emphasized. ''One of our pleas is that . . . guys don't give it to a friend at the club or something like that.'' The drug should never be taken by anyone on nitroglycerin or other such medications for chest pain, or by men who take multiple drugs to control high blood pressure. thestar.com