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Wednesday, 16 July 2008 |
Viagra – History of the drug that changed lives of millions of men
It is indeed difficult to believe that an ongoing research for a drug for treating heart ailments would actually end up being marketed as a drug which treats erectile dysfunction. But then, this is exactly what happened at the labs of Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company known across the globe for being a research-oriented responsible corporate citizen who spends enormous amount of resources in developing drugs for the welfare of mankind.
It is in this company that researchers were struggling with Sildenafil Citrate, a chemical compound to check whether it could provide relief and comfort to those who were suffering from chest pain, medically known as angina. During the research, as strange phenomenon was noticed by the scientists. As the patients were administered the drug, they showed remarkable improvement in their erectile functions and that the drug was very effective in keeping the penis erect for a longer time than it is seen during sexual arousal. While this was a sudden revelation the company quickly took advantage of the benefit of the compound and soon enough, a drug for erectile dysfunction was introduced and Viagra was born. Incidentally, the incidences of erectile dysfunction are perhaps as common as chest pain and it is no wonder that the drug soon became a run-away hit. Thus the scientists who were engaged in researching for a drug to treat people who had an inadequate supply of blood to their hearts, found by chance a drug for erectile dysfunction in 1989. Even in England where researchers were treating angina patients with this drug, found soon that the patients under observation developed the capability of obtaining and preserving an erection for a longer time than expected. Pfizer however took another year to think whether to introduce Sildenafil Citrate for erectile dysfunction or not. The studies with erectile dysfunction in mind started in 1993 and it took another 3 years for the clinical studies to be completed and during this time, there were about 4500 men involved in the trial to find its efficacy in this indication. In 1998, US FDA approved this drug for the indication of erectile dysfunction. Considered a breakthrough in the field of medicine especially for the treatment of male impotence, Viagra had touched $1 billion in sales between 1999 and 2000 and for obvious reasons, it is Pfizer's top product. Though the original patent application for Viagra carries the name of Albert Wood and Peter Dunn, there are three other names which Pfizer gives credit to with regard to discovery of Viagra. Be that as it may, Pfizer concludes that Viagra is the product of continuous effort put forth by a team of scientists and it is only their dedication and single-mindedness of approach which has resulted in this epoch-making drug, which has changed the lives of millions of men and their families through out the world. To find more information on where to buy viagra or to compare viagra prices select the topic in the right menu items. |