Viagra: Profiling the headline-grabbing drug

Since becoming available in the market, Viagra has been popular not only because of the enormous success the drug has recorded in the treatment of men with a kind of impotence known as erectile dysfunction, but because the magic blue pill seem to have the ability to constantly reinvent itself.

As recent as the 15th of February 2007, a report emanated from a hospital in Tyneside, Newcastle, of how Viagra tablets were used as a last ditch effort to save the life of a premature infant.

Lewis Goodfellow, according to the report, had been born at 24 weeks and was weighing about 1pound and 8 ounce. Because one of Lewis’s lungs had failed, the oxygen supply to his bloodstream was not enough

The doctors at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, the hospital where Lewis had been born, had decided to administer Sildenafil Citrate, the generic name for Viagra, on the infant.

The doctors, apparently, had reckoned that the drug could open up tiny blood vessels in the baby’s lungs to allow for oxygen to be absorbed into the bloodstream.

This experiment turned out to save young Lewis’s life, and Alan Fenton, consultant neonatologist at the hospital, was quoted to have said afterwards:

‘Usually, babies born prematurely with breathing difficulties have problems with getting adequate blood supply to their lungs to circulate the oxygen to the parts of their body, even when oxygen is blown into their lungs to help them. Viagra could be useful in this situation by opening up the blood vessels in order for oxygen to be captured and be subsequently distributed around the body.’

Also, in keeping with the headlines-grabbing tradition, Viagra was again in the news on February 14, 2007 when Boot the chemist decided to embark on a pilot scheme to make Viagra tablets available over-the-counter.

Proposed to be made available in three pharmaceutical stores in Manchester, England, the scheme is aimed at making the drug available to those who want to buy Viagra with no prescription. Depending on how successful the scheme turns out, the drugs would be made available nationwide under the same arrangement.

However, any customer who wants to buy the magic blue pills at these stores, but who do not have prescription, would be asked such questions that relate to his suitability to order Viagra tablets.

Before a customer can purchase the packet of four Viagra tablets, for example, for 50 pounds, he is expected to reveal his medical history to a pharmacist, and also have his blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, tested.
The argument in favour of this novel scheme is that it is the right direction to go in making Viagra tablets available to the vast number of people who couldn’t get prescription for the blue pills, but who nevertheless still want to buy Viagra without prescription.

According to Boots, out of the estimated 3 million men in Great Britain suffering from erectile dysfunction, only about 10 percent receive treatment. Under the scheme, more drugs would be made available to help tend to a part of the untreated class, and men between the ages of 30 and 65 would be eligible to buy.

And any man who wishes to get a regular supply of Viagra tablets would be asked to consult with a private doctor, at a cost of slightly above 35 pounds.

Once the man is deemed fit to buy Viagra tablets, the drug would be available at 21.25 pounds per 4-tablet pack – a price that is as competitive as that quoted on the internet.

Boots the chemist is a reputable pharmacy based in Manchester.