Sildenafil citrate (VIAGRA)

Hardly a month goes by in the Ukmedix newsroom before we get yet another news report that the Viagra drug is being tested or put to use for other ailments than erectile dysfunction and this time its Liver Cirrhosis. Previously Ukmedix has reported on the fact that Viagra was being used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension and that it is being in research for heart problems and may be used to stop heart attacks in the future and it seems that the drug may have many more useful applications that just helping impotent men.

Liver Cirrhosis is a condition that may in fact have an affect on pulmonary circulation and can sometimes cause high blood pressure in lungs which is called portopulmonary hypertension. This type of hypertension can like arterial pulmonary hypertension can cause breathlessness and be potentially fatal. People who have liver cirrhosis and thus get portopulmonary hypertension are unable to have a liver transplant as there is no treatment available for this extra problem.

Recently however researchers in Germany and Austria used the active ingredient of Viagra to treat some patients who suffered from both liver cirrhosis as well as the portopulmonary hypertension and it was noted that over the course of a year the symptoms of the hypertension improved significantly along with blood pressure and there were no reported side-effects with the Viagra treatment, (except the famous one of course)!

The researchers reported that the use of Viagra’s active ingredient sildenafil could be used safely and effectively to help liver cirrhosis patients if they develop the added complication of  portopulmonary hypertension.

The Food & Drug Administration in America is kicking up a big fuss over a recent advertisement from the world’s biggest drug company Pfizer after they launched an advertising campaign which broke the rules on the promotion of prescription medication. The Food & Drug Administration sent an official letter on the 16th April to Pfizer saying that the advertisement which was played on the website of the news channel CNN did not mention any of the risk information that is associated
with the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra.

The Food & Drug Administration went on to say that by not including the risk information for the Viagra drug they were suggesting that it was safer than actually has been demonstrated in clinical testing. The FDA said that when advertising Viagra warnings and precautions such as the potential health risks must always be mentioned.

The advertisement which shows a group of musicians singing about how great Viagra is has been extremely popular and has been shown on hundreds of web sites around the world. The song mimics the famous Viva Las Vegas song of Elvis Presley but uses the words Viva Viagra instead.

According to Pfizer they were not trying to advertise the drug without the warning information but due to a technical problem on the CNN website the risk information was not displayed properly on a banner that accompanies the video clip. Pfizer also said that since they received the letter they have pulled the offending advertisement.

In the United Kingdom the advertising of prescription medication is completely banned however in the United States there is a huge industry of advertising for prescription medication but very strict rules surrounding how they can be advertised.

The Viva Viagra advertisement has attracted a great deal of controversy before as the Presley family was furious that the famous song was being used to advertise erectile dysfunction medication. Unfortunately for them they no longer own the rights to the song and therefore they were powerless to do anything about it.

Did you know that when Viagra was launched back in 1998 (it is ten years old now!), it became the quickest selling drug in history. Pfizer can claim to have sold 37 million Viagra tablets in the UK alone. Viagra despite competition from other similar erectile dysfunction drugs Cialis and Levitra is still the best selling impotence medication worldwide and its name is the best known drug brand name in the world.

For every properly made Viagra tablet it is estimated that at least two counterfeit ones are made in illegal factories around the world. Most of these factories are in China and India and it is reckoned that around 50 percent of what they produce is substandard and possibly dangerous. Contrary to what many people think, you will not get an erection only by taking a Viagra tablet. Unless you are actually sexually aroused you could take a Viagra tablet and not get a single erection in the four hour time window for it to work.

Despite the fact that impotence has become a topic that people are not embarrassed to talk about any more many men are still too shy to go to a doctor and get help. Legal online websites such as Ukmedix help hundreds of men every year by allowing them to have online consultations with a doctor for their erection problems.

The active ingredient of the Viagra drug namely sildenafil citrate was originally tested to help men and women who suffer from angina and its effect on male sexual function was a completely accidental side effect. There are reports that using Viagra with grapefruit juice can accentuate the effects of the drug but they have not been subjected to independent clinical testing.