Washington, June 27: From Rio to Beirut to Taipei, Viagra has taken the world by storm by giving renewed hope to millions of men suffering from impotence.But Pfizer's little blue `miracle pill,' available in the United States since March 27, has also been a soft target for late-night comics and, more seriously, has stirred concerns about safety.
At least 16 men have died after taking Viagra, and while the drug was not blamed the company and authorities have warned heart patients about its use and called on others to exercise caution and heed label warnings.
Even as it becomes one of the most recognised products in the world, Viagra has been linked to heart-attack deaths, violent lovers' quarrels and a smuggling boom to meet frenzied global demand.
And governments worldwide have struggled to come to grips with the phenomenon, some barring sales of the drug - including Internet marketing - and in some cases warning that Viagra threatens families.
So far, the United States, Morocco, Mexico, Colombia,South Africa, Thailand and Switzerland, have approved the drug, which should go on sale in the latter four nations around mid-July, a Pfizer spokeswoman told AFP by telephone. The European Union is considering a medical panel's recommendation to approve the drug.
Some 2.56 million Viagra prescriptions have been written to date, spokeswoman Pamela Gemmel said, adding total revenues could not be revealed until Pfizer releases earnings results in mid-July.
But safety concerns have not stopped the deluge of stories linked to the little blue pill that could:
In Carson City, Nevada, Viagra-fuelled 70-year-olds are enthusiastically rediscovering sexual pleasure, bringing booming business for the state's brothels.
Elcio Berti, mayor of the tiny Brazilian town of Bocaiuva do Sul, has reportedly said he will be handing out Viagra in hopes of spurring population growth.
Four of eight Viagra pills a doctor brought to a meeting of the science committee of Israel's parliament disappearedsuspiciously during a debate on the drug.
The World Wide Fund for Nature said the drug would not help save the rhinoceros from extinction by providing an alternative to rhino horn to boost male sexual performance.
Viagra headlined Fathers' Day pitches from Venezuelan pharmacies, doctors' offices, and peddlers in Caracas' crowded streets, some of whom fool customers by selling aspirin coloured blue.
A Lebanese woman sued her husband for assault after he took three Viagra pills at once and savagely attacked her in a state of excitation she says she had never before seen him in.
A 31-year-old Taiwanese claimed self-defence after stabbing to death a 70-year-old client for being too demanding after taking Viagra, then beating her when she would not agree to a second round of sexual intercourse.
A 63-year-old woman is reportedly suing her common-law husband, 70, claiming he left her for another woman after the drug turned him into a `stud', and considering charges against Pfizerfor failing to warn, she said, that Viagra can be dangerous to marriages.Visitors to the tourist region of Lecco in northern Italy can buy Viagra by the pound after a day's sightseeing. But this Viagra is a cheese named after the drug.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
