Latest News For 'Generic ED Drug'
August 29th, 2007
New research shows that erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis may increase production of oxytocin, a reproductive hormone released during orgasm.
That news comes from scientists at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. They tested sildenafil (Viagra’s active ingredient), vardenafil (Levitra’s active ingredient), and a related chemical called T-1032 in lab tests on rats.
The researchers exposed part of the rats’ pituitary gland to those chemicals (which are called PDE5 inhibitors) and to mild electrical stimulation. Under those conditions, the rats’ pituitary glands produced more oxytocin.
Does that happen in people, too? This study doesn’t answer that question.
But that topic deserves further study, since oxytocin is important in various reproductive functions, write researcher Meyer Jackson, Ph.D., and colleagues.
Their study shows no signs of increased oxytocin production without stimulation.
“Erectile dysfunction drugs do not induce erections spontaneously; they enhance the response to sexual stimulation,” Jackson states in a news release.
“The same thing is happening in the [rats’] posterior pituitary - Viagra will not induce the release of oxytocin on its own, but it will enhance the amount of release you get in response to electrical stimulation,” states Jackson.
Their findings appear in the Aug. 9 advance online edition of the Journal of Physiology.
August 13th, 2007
Erectile dysfunction after surgery to remove the prostate (radical prostatectomy) has traditionally been attributed to nerve damage that theoretically should heal over time. But it can take as long as two years for the nerves to recover enough for a man to have an erection without the aid of drugs or devices.
By that time, other damage may have occurred, according to an article in the latest issue of Perspectives on Prostate Disease.
The Harvard Medical School bulletin notes that when the penis is flaccid for long periods of time, it is deprived of a lot of oxygen-rich blood. Recent research suggests that this low oxygen level causes some muscle cells in the penis’s erectile tissue to lose their flexibility. The tissue gradually becomes more like scar tissue, interfering with the penis’s ability to expand when it’s filled with blood.
Therefore, the traditional advice given to men—to wait for erectile function to return on its own—may not be adequate. Simply put, erections seem to work on a use-it-or-lose-it basis. To prevent the secondary damage that may occur if the penis goes too long without erections, researchers now think it’s better to restore erectile function soon after prostate removal. Treatment options include using a vacuum pump device or taking erectile dysfunction drugs by mouth or by injection into the penis.
According to Dr. Marc Garnick, editor in chief of Perspectives on Prostate Disease and a Harvard oncologist, “Although the evidence supporting this ‘penile rehabilitation’ isn’t perfect, you may want to ask your doctor about the options. Such early intervention may help increase the odds that you will regain erectile function.”
Also covered in the 48-page report:
- Alternative therapies for prostate cancer
- Handling a prostate cancer relapse
- Surgical options for benign prostatic hyperplasia
July 25th, 2007
The following is being issued by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation: AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), is hosting a media availability all day today and Tuesday to comment upon a reckless new television advertising campaign for the erectile dysfunction drug, Viagra, premiering tonight during the NBC Nightly News. The campaign, titled, “Viva Viagra!” was created by Pfizer Inc., the world’s largest pharmaceutical company for its erectile- dysfunction drug Viagra (sildenafil citrate). The slick ad features 40-ish year-old men singing “Viva Viagra” to the tune of Elvis Presley’s immortal party anthem, “Viva Las Vegas!”
“Pfizer is clearly dovetailing off of the city of Las Vegas’ recent and enormously successful ‘What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas’ campaign with its own new ‘Viva Viagra’ ad campaign,” said Michael Weinstein, AIDS Healthcare Foundation President. “Unfortunately, as far as Viagra is concerned, what happens in Vegas may NOT stay in Vegas when the use of Viagra as a party drug is encouraged with irresponsible ads like this-there is a real possibility of increased STD and HIV exposure a result of Pfizer’s encouragement of the reckless use of its ED drug, Viagra. ”
A Brief History and Background of Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Drugs, and Pfizer’s Advertising of Viagra
Viagra, the first erectile dysfunction drug on the market, was patented by Pfizer in 1996 and subsequently was approved for use in erectile dysfunction , on March 27, 1998, becoming the first pill approved to treat erectile dysfunction in the United States. It was offered for sale in the United States later that year, and quickly became a blockbuster drug for Pfizer: annual sales of Viagra in the period 1999-2001 exceeded $1 billion. Early advertisements for Viagra included television and print ads featuring septuagenarian and former Senator and Presidential candidate, Bob Dole (R, Kansas), who, as a spokesperson for Viagra, lent significant credibility and gravitas to Pfizer and the drug, particularly as he was widely-known to have suffered from, and undergone surgery for, prostate cancer.
With the introduction of two competing erectile dysfunction drugs in 2003, Eli Lilly & Company’s Cialis (tadalafil), and Bayer AG’s Levitra (vardenafil), Pfizer’s marketing of Viagra changed dramatically. One subsequent campaign for Viagra feature an attractive forty something year-old man sporting an impish grin and airbrushed devil’s horns on his head.
Earlier last year, AIDS Healthcare Foundation criticized Pfizer for running a holiday-themed print ad campaign that AHF believed promoted unsafe sex by encouraging the recreational use of Viagra on holidays such as New Year’s Eve and the Super Bowl. The ads, seen in The Wall Street Journal and The L.A. Daily News, among other publications, depicted a handsome, forty-ish male grinning knowingly at the camera with taglines, such as “What are you doing New Year’s Eve?” and “Be this Sunday’s MVP.” Pfizer continued this irresponsible advertising campaign to withdraw its previous ads, which inferred that men could re-capture their youthful vigor and become a devil-horned “wild thing” by taking Viagra.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the nation’s largest oldest and largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare, research, prevention and education provider, currently provides medical care, including lifesaving antiretroviral treatment, and/or services to more than 50,000 individuals in 15 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and Asia.
July 5th, 2007
Gene therapy using nerve growth factors reversed erectile dysfunction in rats within four weeks, say University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers.The Pittsburgh team found that the genes for the “glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor” (GDNF) and the GDNF family ligand, called neurturin, were both effective in treating erectile dysfunction in the rats. The genes were placed in a genetically engineered herpes simplex virus, which was then injected into the rats’ damaged cavernous nerve.
The finding suggests a potential new treatment for ED in men.
“Because the herpes virus persists in the nerve cell for as long as it is alive and nerve cells typically do not reproduce, this represents the first-ever demonstration of a long-term treatment for ED that does not rely on the chronic administration of drugs that can have potentially harmful side effects,” study co-leader Joseph C. Glorioso, chairman of the department of biochemistry and molecular genetics, said in a prepared statement.
The study was to be presented over the weekend at the annual meeting of the American Society of Gene Therapy, in Seattle.
July 4th, 2007
I don’t know about you, but I hope all the Armani-clad zillion-dollar-a-year health-care CEOs are squirming in their $1,000 leather office chairs while Michael Moore’s “Sicko” hits theater screens this week. I haven’t seen Moore’s film about our much-flawed health-care system yet, but I, for one, believe it’s way overdue.
Like any industry, the health-care business is all about the Benjamins. In a moment, I will offer my simple prescription for taking America’s sicko health-care system off life support.
If I sound a little peeved at our lack of affordable, available health care, I am. In the spirit of full disclosure, I’ll share a couple personal examples of why I believe Moore needed to make this film.
Just recently, my monthly co-pay for the cholesterol-fighting drug Lipitor increased by 150 percent. I don’t care whose fault that is. One hundred fifty percent increases are criminal. Within seconds, I was on the phone to my primary care physician. He prescribed Simvastatin, the generic replacement i.e. Generic Viagra for the Pfizer pill. My co-pay returned to $10. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at the meteoric rise in prescription costs. Moore’s film claims there are four health-care industry lobbyists for every member of Congress. Somebody has to feed their babies.
This next example is even better. Early last year, I had to pay $5,000 cash up front for a surgical procedure, since the surgeon I elected to use was out of my health-care network. In fact, he doesn’t even accept managed care plans. But, since he’s the top guy in his field, I felt the investment was worth it, knowing I was entitled to a partial reimbursement from my health-care provider afterward.
Weeks after the operation, I submitted a request for reimbursement, using the specified forms provided. I waited. And waited. And waited. Nothing.
Just so happens, I have a friend whose job is dealing with insurance payments for her doctor’s office. She offered to look into why I wasn’t receiving some money back. She knew how to navigate the system, which buttons to push. She knew who to ask for. Nearly a year after filing my original claim, a check for $1,400 showed up in my mailbox. Without my friend, I’d be just another American getting ripped off because of an insurance system that is convoluted and, in my opinion, deliberately burdensome.
Memo to those looking for a new career: Become a billing advocate for those of us hopelessly confused by today’s insurance procedures. You’ll make a fortune.
In all fairness to the “system,” we consumers need to take accountability by staying healthy. The fix? Eat well. Exercise. Doctors, how about taking down those clocks and posters in your office sponsored by the drug companies? They’re insulting to hard-working Americans. Can you replace your Viagra wall clock with one sponsored by the broccoli growers industry instead? Throw out your Ambien pens, and use pens from the American Heart Association.
source: http://www.nashuatelegraph.com
