Entries from August 2007 ↓

TUESDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) — Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline isn't wasting any time.

On Monday, about a month before its over-the-counter (OTC) weight-loss drug alli® will actually be on store shelves throughout America, the company opened a multimedia exhibit in the much-shopped and often congested Union Square area of Manhattan.

This "look, learn, but don't buy" preview of the only weight-loss medication currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Food and Drug Administration and available without a prescription is getting the same sort of advance media play that kicked off campaigns for prescription drugs such as Viagra and the sleeping aid Lunesta. Continue reading →

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The male impotence drug Viagra (Sildenafil Citrate) may be useful for treating jet lag as well, according to Argentine researchers who gave it to hamsters made to feel like rodent globe-trotters.

The researchers manipulated the schedule of turning lights on and off to induce jet lag in the laboratory animals, they reported Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

National Academy of Sciences.

Adult male hamsters given Viagra, also called sildenafil, recovered from jet lag up to 50 percent faster than hamsters that were not given it, the researchers said.

The scientists stopped giving the hamsters the highest dose they had been using in the experiment due to a certain side effect.

"However, we used the intermediate dose for the rest of the experiments because at that dose animals did not manifest the effects of sildenafil-induced penile erections," they wrote.

Flying across multiple time zones can confuse one's sleep-wake cycle, resulting in the condition called jet lag, marked by insomnia, sleepiness and difficulty concentrating.

Researchers Patricia Agostino, Santiago Plano and Diego Golombek of the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes in Buenos Aires gave doses of Viagra to the hamsters at night, then switched on bright lights six hours early to simulate eastbound flight.

They judged how well the hamsters adjusted to the changes by observing when they began running on exercise wheels.

The drug helped the rodents cope with jet lag only when given before the equivalent of an eastbound flight, not the reverse when they delayed turning on lights to simulate westbound travel, the study found.

The researchers said the findings suggested that Viagra could be useful to help people cope with jet lag or shift work. They said the dose needed for such uses could be lower than the one used for treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Viagra interferes with an enzyme that lowers levels of a naturally occurring compound that plays a role in the regulation of the circadian cycle, the body's internal clock, the researchers said.

Viagra is marketed by Pfizer, the world's largest drug maker. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration" /> News | News Photos | Images | Web

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Food and Drug Administration approved it to treat erectile dysfunction in 1998. Continue reading →

Viagra has been used by doctors on Tyneside as a last resort to save the life of a premature baby.

Lewis Goodfellow was born at 24 weeks weighing just 1lb 8oz. One of his lungs had failed and not enough oxygen was able to get into his bloodstream.

Doctors at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary then tried Sildenafil, also known under the trade name of Viagra, and Lewis is now home with his parents.

The drug opened up tiny blood vessels in the baby's lungs.

Parents Jade Goodfellow and John Barclay, from Walker, Newcastle believe the drug - more usually associated with anti-impotence - saved his life.

At one point they were so concerned he would not survive that they began planning a funeral.

Ms Goodfellow said: "Doctors said he couldn't be given any more oxygen.

"They were just clutching at straws basically. They explained it was experimental and may not have any effect at all."

Alan Fenton, consultant neonatologist at the hospital, said: "The problem we see in premature babies with breathing difficulties is although we can blow oxygen into their lungs to help them, there isn't enough blood supply to various areas of the lungs to take the oxygen around the rest of the body.

"What Sildenafil does is open up the blood vessels so they can capture the oxygen and take it around the body."

Lewis was born in August 2006 and was finally allowed home in January, to the delight of his parents.

His mother said: "I don't think you could put into words how we feel.

"The doctors are worth their weight in gold. We admire each and every one of them for what they have done."

Originaly from Source

Software giant Microsoft and the world's biggest drug company Pfizer are getting into bed together to combat an internet Viagra spam ring.

The two are filing 17 parallel lawsuits against two "international pharmacy spam rings" selling what they claim are generic versions of Viagra online.

Pfizer said two websites named in the suit sold "potentially dangerous medications" unapproved by regulators.

The websites involved are CanadianPharmacy and E-Pharmacy Direct.

Violation

In addition, Microsoft has filed three suits against web spammers who promote online drug stores, such as Discount RX, Virtual RX and EzeDrugStore.com.

"Together, these pharmacy spam rings have allegedly sent hundreds of millions of e-mail messages to Microsoft's MSN Hotmail customers within the past year alone," the joint statement said.

Deceptive advertising via e-mail violated the federal CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, they said.

Pfizer said it was committed to protecting the public from risks associated with "the illegal sale of fake and unapproved generic products claiming to be Viagra".

The actions follow a seven-month probe by the two companies into the sale of the erectile dysfunction tablets.

Computers in New York received online orders which were then sent to a call centre based in Canada before being processed in India, the lawsuit claims.

The pills were then shipped from India to the US and delivered by an air freight company based in the US.

Originaly from Source

WASHINGTON - Patients who suffer from a rare disease that causes continuous high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs received a new treatment choice Friday.

The Food and Drug Administration

nd Drug Administration said it approved Letairis to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension. The condition causes continuous high blood pressure in the arteries that carry oxygen-poor blood from the heart to the lungs. As the arteries narrow, the heart must pump harder, which weakens it with time. The disease affects about 100,000 people in the United States.

The drug, known generically as ambrisentan, is made by Gilead Sciences Inc., based in Foster City, Calif. The company said the drug would be available next week.

The drug comes with strong warnings as it may cause birth defects and shouldn't be used by women who are pregnant or may become pregnant. It also can cause liver damage. Patients taking the once-daily tablets must undergo monthly blood tests to check for injury to the liver, the FDA said.

A second pharmaceutical company, Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc., was awaiting word on whether its drug to treat the same condition had been approved. The status of that drug, Thelin, or sitaxsentan sodium, wasn't immediately clear Friday. An FDA spokeswoman referred questions on the drug's status to the company. A spokesman said the Houston company had heard nothing.

Other approved medications to treat the condition include Tracleer and Revatio, a lower dose of the same key ingredient in the impotency pill Viagra.

Originaly from Source

Say the name Viagra and most people will automatically think of a drug to treat impotence.

But doctors are finding it is good at boosting parts of the body other than the penis, such as the blood vessels of the heart and lungs - as has been seen in the case of premature baby Lewis Goodfellow.

This is not altogether surprising given that Viagra was originally designed to lower blood pressure and treat angina.

Chance finding

It was during early testing that its developers noticed the drug aided the male erection - a curious and, as it turned out, very lucrative side effect.

Pfizer therefore decided to market it for erectile dysfunction, rather than as a heart drug, and after more safety tests Viagra was finally licensed as an impotence treatment in 1998.

Years later Viagra is turning full circle and doctors are re-exploring its use for treating circulatory problems involving the heart and lungs.

The drug, also known as sildenafil, does not directly give a man an erection. It works by boosting blood flow to the penis.

It does this by specifically blocking a particular enzyme called phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE 5).

This action means the drug is also good at improving blood flow elsewhere in the body.

Vicky Styman of the British Heart Foundation explained: "It is a potent vasodilator, opening up the blood vessels and it was originally looked at as a heart drug."

But there have been concerns about whether it is safe for men with heart disease on particular medications that work in the same way.

Doctors are told not to prescribe Viagra along with these angina drugs called nitrates as the mix could lower blood pressure to dangerous levels.

It appears to be safe in other heart patients, but Ms Styman added: "If you have a heart condition you should check with your doctor before taking Viagra."

As erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular diseases have common risk factors, many of the patients who might benefit from Viagra also have cardiovascular diseases.

Ian Banks of the Men's Health Forum said: "It was a very attractive drug for cardiac conditions and lowering blood pressure.

"Indeed, I've noticed that when I prescribe Viagra to patients with a heart condition it actually improves their heart condition as well as their erectile dysfunction.

"It does what it originally said on the tin. But Pfizer knew they were on to a winner with the erectile dysfunction line.

"But people are still interested in using it for other conditions and I suspect we will see a generation of drugs coming out from the sildenafil group which are actually designed for working on the heart because it is so effective."

Other uses

Studies suggest the drug could treat a variety of conditions other than erectile dysfunction.

Scientists have shown it can help thicken up the lining of the womb in women experiencing fertility problems and reduce the risk of a complication of pregnancy called pre-eclampsia.

The best evidence so far of an alternative use is for treating high blood pressure in the vessels of the lungs, known as pulmonary hypertension.

There have been reports of cases where doctors have used Viagra to save the lives of babies with this potentially fatal condition.

Dr Alan Fenton, consultant neonatologist Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, has first hand experience of this.

He explains: "The problem we see in premature babies with breathing difficulties is although we can blow oxygen into their lungs to help them, there isn't enough blood supply to various areas of the lungs to take the oxygen around the rest of the body.

"What sildenafil does is open up the blood vessels so they can capture the oxygen and take it around the body."

Originaly from Source

The anti-impotence drug Viagra could be used to treat a pregnancy disorder which can prove fatal for mothers and babies, researchers suggest.

Pre-eclampsia affects about one in 10 pregnancies, and kills up to five women and 600 babies a year in the UK.

Tests on rats by a team at University of Vermont College of Medicine showed no offspring died in the pregnancies where mother rats were given Viagra.

UK experts said the finding gave hope for future treatment of the condition.

The US research is to be presented to the International Union of Physiological Sciences meeting in San Diego, US this week.

The scientists studied rats with induced high blood pressure.

Half were given Viagra, while the rest were left untreated.

There were no deaths of foetuses in the pregnancies treated with Viagra, but 11% of foetuses were lost in pregnancies in untreated rats.

No cure

Pre-eclampsia occurs in pregnancies where the arteries which cross through the placenta do not widen as much as they should be to take the necessary amount of blood and nutrients from the mother to the developing foetus.

If this happens, the mother's body works harder to pump enough blood and nutrients through - and her blood pressure goes up.

Viagra works by inhibiting the action of an enzyme called PDE-5, which prevents the expansion of arteries.

The researchers found the drug did not lower blood pressure, in the rats, but it did have beneficial effects.

The arteries in treated rats were much wider than those in untreated animals, allowing better circulation of blood and nutrients.

The offspring from these pregnancies were also of a normal weight. Surviving offspring from untreated rats were around 20% smaller.

Professor George Osol, who led the research, said more work was needed to confirm his findings.

But he added: "These findings are exciting because they suggest that Viagra may have beneficial effects in hypertensive pregnancy and possibly, pre-eclampsia."

Mike Rich, chief executive of the charity Action on Pre-eclampsia, said: "Using Viagra would not cure the pre-eclampsia, but you could potentially get to a point where you could prolong a pregnancy by enabling better blood flow."

Originaly from Source

The anti-impotence pill Viagra could be available over-the-counter drug, it is reported.

The drug's maker Pfizer says it is considering submiting an application to European regulatory authorities to clear it for sale in pharmacies.

An estimated 27 million men have already used the little blue pill for erectile dysfunction on prescription.

Medics said a change would be welcome but might mean other linked diseases were missed with no health check ups.

Ups and downs

Often, men with erectile dysfunction have underlying health problems such as diabetes, which can be spotted by their GP at the time they come for an anti-impotence prescription.

"If men can buy Viagra and rival anti-impotence drugs over-the-counter without a prescription, this opportunity is missed," said Dr David Ralph from the Institute of Urology at University College London.

But there would be benefits too, he said, such as combating the problem of Viagra sold illegally on the internet from unknown sources, which may be fake and if taken with some medicines could be fatal.

He said it would be safe to buy over-the-counter provided the pharmacist did the necessary checks to ensure the medication was suitable for the patient.

Embarrassment factor

It might also be a more attractive option to men as going to see the GP about sexual problems can be embarrassing, he added.

But he cautioned: "There is more to sexual relations than an erection. There may be other problems."

Viagra works by relaxing the blood vessels in the penis. This allows blood to flow into the penis causing an erection.

However, the drug is not an aphrodisiac and does not increase sex drive.

It is licensed only as a treatment for men who have been diagnosed by a doctor as having impotence.

Also, some men, such as those with severe heart disease or low blood pressure, should avoid it because of possible risks and side effects.

Viagra is not licensed for use in women and its safety in women has not been established.

A Pfizer spokesman said: "As with many of our products, Pfizer has routinely evaluated a number of options including different formulations, new indications, over-the-counter and continues to do so."

He added that despite speculation there were no plans to pursue a spray version of the drug.

Originaly from Source

US radio pundit Rush Limbaugh will not face charges for bringing a bottle of Viagra tablets into Florida that had not been prescribed in his name.

Had he been charged, it might have violated a deal reached in April over separate charges that he fraudulently obtained prescription medication.

Limbaugh was held at Palm Beach County International Airport on 26 June after flying in from the Dominican Republic.

He told listeners this week he was not charged as no laws had been broken.

According to the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office, Limbaugh's psychiatrist, Steve Strumwasser, agreed to have his name placed on the Viagra bottle "to avoid potentially embarrassing publicity".

The controversial radio host, a tough critic of drug offenders, attracted widespread attention in 2003 after admitting on air he was addicted to prescription painkillers.

Originaly from Source

Italian police have seized 80 race horses which had been given performance-enhancing drugs, including male potency booster Viagra.

The horses and 10,000 packages of drugs ranging from hormones and steroids to painkillers, were detained at an illegal training centre near Naples.

About 40 people, including horse owners, vets and pharmacists were being investigated, police said.

They said the drugs were believed to have come from abroad.

Reports say Viagra can improve a horse's cardio-respiratory functions and its performance if taken before races.

Police commander Mario Pantano told local television: "We are able to ascertain the use of the famous Viagra to increase the performance of these horses."

The property seized by police, including the track and its horses is reported to be worth around five million euros (3.4m).

The investigation started in 2004 to look into irregularities within the official horse-racing industry, focusing in particular the illegal use of drugs and secret betting.

Originaly from Source