Pharma Blog Online

Sildenafil citrate, sold under the names Viagra, Revatio and generically under various other names, is a drug used to treat male erectile dysfunction (impotence) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), developed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. Viagra pills are blue and diamond-shaped with the words “Pfizer” on one side, and “VGR xx” (where xx stands for “25″, “50″ or “100″, the dose of that pill in milligrams) on the other. Its primary competitors on the market are tadalafil (Cialis), and vardenafil (Levitra).

The most common side effects when using tadalafil are headache, indigestion, back pain, muscle aches, flushing, and stuffy or runny nose. These side effects usually go away after a few hours. Patients who get back pain and muscle aches usually get it 12 to 24 hours after taking the drug, and the symptom usually goes away after 48 hours.

In May 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that tadalafil (along with other PDE5 inhibitors) could lead to vision impairment in certain patient groups, including diabetics. An investigation is currently ongoing.

Sildenafil (compound UK-92,480) was synthesized by a group of pharmaceutical chemists working at Pfizer’s Sandwich, Kent research facility. It was initially studied for use in hypertension (high blood pressure) and angina pectoris (a form of ischaemic cardiovascular disease). Phase I clinical trials under the direction of Ian Osterloh suggested that the drug had little effect on angina, but that it could induce marked penile erections. Pfizer therefore decided to market it for erectile dysfunction, rather than for angina. The drug was patented in 1996, approved for use in erectile dysfunction by the Food and Drug Administration on March 27, 1998, becoming the first pill approved to treat erectile dysfunction in the United States, and offered for sale in the United States later that year. It soon became a great success: annual sales of Viagra in the period 1999–2001 exceeded $1 billion.

Sildenafil citrate, sold under the names Viagra, Revatio and generically under various other names, is a drug used to treat male erectile dysfunction (impotence) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), developed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. Viagra pills are blue and diamond-shaped with the words “Pfizer” on one side, and “VGR xx” (where xx stands for “25″, “50″ or “100″, the dose of that pill in milligrams) on the other. Its primary competitors on the market are tadalafil (Cialis), and vardenafil (Levitra).

A major AIDS treatment group in the United States is planning to sue the pharmaceutical giant for illegally promoting the use of its impotence pill Viagra as a recreational drug.

Doctors have saved a three-week-old baby girl who suffers from a rare respiratory syndrome by treating her with Viagra, Rebecca Sieff Hospital in Safed announced Thursday

The clitoris is a female sexual organ. In humans, the visible knob-like portion is located near the anterior junction of the labia minora, above the opening of the vagina. Unlike the homologous male organ (the penis), the clitoris does not contain the distal portion of the urethra and functions solely to induce sexual pleasure. The only known exception to this is in the Spotted Hyena, where the urogenital system is modified so that the female urinates, mates and gives birth via an enlarged, erectile clitoris, known as a pseudo-penis.
The internal anatomy of the human vulva, with the clitoral hood and labia minora indicated as lines. Photograph of a human vulva showing the glans clitoris. In many cases the clitoral hood completely covers the glans, as seen in the photo below.

A photograph of a human vulva, with the clitoris obscured by the clitoral hood and folds of the labia minora.

The inability to achieve “erection stiffness sufficient for penetration and intercourse� (impotence) increases with age. Of men aged 50-80 years 30% are impotent. In the age group 70-80 years approximately 50% are unable to achieve erection sufficient for intercourse without treatment (technical support).

Reference: Helgason �R, Adolfsson J, Dickman P, Arver S, Fredrikson M, Göthberg M, Steineck G. Sexual desire, erection, orgasm and ejaculatory functions and their importance to elderly Swedish men: A population-based study. Age and Ageing. 1996:25:285-291