Pharma Weblog

By Linda Deutsch

LOS ANGELES (AP) - From the moment he saw actress Lana Clarkson's dead body slumped in a chair in Phil Spector's mansion, a gun at her feet and blood soaking her short black dress, the lead investigator sensed "sexual overtones," he testified Wednesday. Detective Mark Lillienfeld testified in Spector's murder trial that when he found a Viagra pill (Sildenafil Citrate) in the music producer's briefcase, it intensified his belief, and he seized it as evidence.

"I thought at that time, as I do today, that this murder had sexual overtones to it, and that the Viagra would prove or disprove certain facts," the detective said. More…

Viagra (Sildenafil Citrate) could be used to help people flying eastwards recover from jetlag, animal research suggests.

A team of Argentine scientists found the drug helped hamsters recover up to 50% faster from forward shifts in their daily time cycles.

However, the drug only worked in conjunction with light therapy, and only in one time direction - the equivalent to flying eastbound.

The study features in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In mammals, the light-dark cycle regulates the body's biological clock, which promotes activity during the daytime, when it is light, and sleep at night.

Time shift

The researchers from the National University of Quilmes shifted the light-dark cycle of hamsters six hours forwards, by switching on lights six hours earlier than usual.

They then monitored the hamsters' running wheel activity to assess when their body clocks had adjusted to the new time cycle - the hamsters are active in the day but stop running when the lights go out.

Injection of Viagra before the time shift meant the hamsters adjusted to the new time cycle faster, even when low doses of the drug, which did not cause penile erections, were used.

Viagra, the drug sildenafil, was originally developed for the treatment of high blood pressure and angina, and is used to treat erectile dysfunction.

Viagra used in combination with light could help jetlag symptoms

When used without the shifts in light, the drug did not induce changes in the hamsters' activity, so it seems to work by enhancing the light-induced response.

Dr Diego Golumbek, who led the research, said the drug seemed to work via a molecule called cGMP which is known to have a role in setting the body's time clock - it is present at higher levels during the day.

The Viagra blocks the activity of an enzyme which breaks down cGMP, allowing higher levels to build up.

One direction only

Dr Golumbek said the fact that different mechanisms may be used to slow down and speed up the body clock explains why Viagra only worked when the lights were switched on early, not late.

Professor Robert Lucas, from Manchester University, said although looking for ways adjust biological clocks was important, regulating light exposure was the most widely accepted strategy for doing this.

He said the new research raised the possibility of using Viagra in conjunction with this light treatment, but he added: "We will have to wait for more research to know whether this will work in humans."

Pfizer, the makers of Viagra, said the drug should only be used in accordance with the approved labelling.

Originaly from Source

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A shot of Viagra (Sildenafil Citrate) may one day help shift workers and flight crews recover their normal sleep cycles, according to a study on hamsters released Monday.

Viagra, otherwise known as sildenafil, could be "useful in other circadian disorders that involve poor synchronization with the environment, including delayed sleep-phase syndrome and adaptation to changing light schedules," said the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  

National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers at Argentina's National University at Quilmes in Buenos Aires injected male hamsters with small amounts of the drug and switched off the lights six hours earlier, which researchers compared with taking an eastbound flight, as would occur from the Americas to Europe.

Hamsters receiving a dose of the drug adapted 20-50 percent more quickly to the new schedule than hamsters receiving a placebo, the study said, as judged by how quickly they resumed running on their exercise wheels.

However, the trick worked only when moving the schedule ahead, as on the so-called eastbound change, without helping hamsters shifted six hours in the other direction.

Mammals, such as humans and hamsters, regulate their circadian rhythms by releasing chemicals in the brain, such as melatonin. However, repeated injections of melatonin are required to achieve a shift in sleep-wake cycles, compared with the single-dose effectiveness of sildenafil.

The drug interferes with an enzyme that reduces the levels of cyclic guanine monophosphate in the brain, which helps regulate circadian rhythm, the body's inner clock.

The National Academy of Sciences was established by the US Congress in 1863 to advise the United States on science, medicine and engineering matters. More…

By Anick Jesdanun

NEW YORK (AP) - Junk e-mail continued to hit mailboxes around the world Thursday, despite the arrest a day earlier of a man described as one of the world's most prolific spammers.

Even if Robert Alan Soloway is ultimately convicted and his operations shuttered, spam experts say dozens are in line to fill the void. More…

After a two year investigation into the murky world of on line pharmacies and Internet "cheap cigarettes", Americas Watchdog and its Global Piracy & Counterfeiting Consultants have a worldwide recommendation to all consumers. This can be summed up in three words: "Don't Do It". The investigation concluded that the "on line drugs and cigarettes could be lethal or you could get charged for something you never get". By doing business with a on line cigarette or drug "retailer", a consumer may have just given their credit information to the Russian Mafia or organized crime.

(PRWEB) May 21, 2007 — Americas Watchdog is one of the premier consumer advocacy groups in the United States. The group has formed a piracy & counterfeiting task force to take on sellers of "on line" counterfeit drugs or cigarettes. The group is warning all consumers worldwide to avoid doing business with "on line" pharmacies or cigarette "retailers" unless they can provide credentials. Aside from potential lethal counterfeit drugs or cigarettes, consumers expose them selves to possible identity theft or paying for something they never get. "Who wants to do business with the Russian Mafia or organized crime"? Americas Watchdog's Global Piracy & Counterfeiting Consultants are seeking corporate partnerships to curb this growing worldwide problem with buy operations designed to expose the counterfeiters or their "retail" outlets. The two areas to be targeted are:

*Counterfeit Cigarettes
British American Tobacco has reported that more than one in 20 cigarettes smoked worldwide is either smuggled or counterfeit.

The cigarette industry, like many other industries, faces an unprecedented challenge from counterfeit products. The WCO estimates that 190 billion counterfeit cigarettes are produced each year in China, making it "a major source country for European/US markets".

Americas Watchdog and its Global Piracy & Counterfeit Consultants warn that counterfeit cigarettes, which may look identical to those purchased legitimately over the counter, can contain hazardous levels of damaging toxins, including arsenic. The black-market cigarettes have higher levels of tar, nicotine and carcinogenic chemicals from contaminated tobacco leaves. In other words, counterfeit cigarettes could be dangerous.

Americas Watchdog and its Global Piracy & Counterfeiting Consultants are warning consumers not to purchase counterfeit cigarettes or "on line cigarettes" as they could be a serious health hazard. In addition by purchasing counterfeit cigarettes a consumer may actually be enriching terrorists or organized crime. Americas Watchdog would welcome the opportunity to work directly with British Tobacco, the Altria Group, Reynolds American, Altadis or other cigarette manufacturers in order to curb and or disrupt the manufacturing or distribution of counterfeit cigarettes.

*Counterfeit Drugs
The FDA recommends that consumers who have purchased drugs from certain web sites not use the products because they may be unsafe. Laboratory analyses are underway for intercepted products that were destined for the U.S. market. Preliminary laboratory results to date have found counterfeits of the following drug products: Lipitor" /> News | News Photos | Images | Web

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Lipitor, Diovan, Actonel, Nexium, Hyzaar, Ezetrol (known as Zetia in the United States), Crestor, Celebrex, Arimidex and Propecia. All of these medications require a prescription from a licensed health care provider to be legally dispensed.

DRUG NAME
USE(S)

LIPITOR
Cholesterol disorders

CRESTOR
Cholesterol disorders

ZETIA (US name) / EZETROL (Canadian name)
Cholesterol disorders

DIOVAN
High blood pressure

HYZAAR
High blood pressure

ACTONEL
Osteoporosis in postmenopausal women

NEXIUM
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

CELEBREX
Arthritis-related pain

ARIMIDEX
Breast cancer

PROPECIA
Male-pattern baldness

According to the FDA, drug counterfeiters defraud consumers by selling products that resemble legitimate drugs but may contain inactive or incorrect ingredients; contain improper doses of active ingredients; or be otherwise contaminated. Purchasing ED products on line from illegitimate websites involve risks such as::

— Fake or "generic" ED drugs may be manufactured in unregulated factories, often in regions of the world that do not share the same rigorous standards for pharmaceutical manufacturing applied in the U.S.

— The drugs may contain dangerous additives

— The illegal drugs may not work as claimed, or at all

— Illegitimate pharmacies may take payment but not ship ordered products, or shipped products may be seized by the U.S. government because they are illegal

— Web sites that distribute counterfeit ED pills, including "generic Viagra", Cialis and Levitra have been found to abuse credit card information.

Americas Watchdog and its Global Piracy & Counterfeiting Consultants (Http://GP-CC.Com ) strongly encourage consumers in the US and worldwide to stay away from Internet cigarette "retailers", Internet pharmacies or computer pop ups for ED or other medical conditions. According to Americas Watchdog's President, "these counterfeit drugs could actually kill you. If a consumer wants to be safe, consult a physician or a licensed pharmacy, rather than trusting someone you don't know anything about on the Internet." As a part of one of their investigations, Americas Watchdog ordered a sedative from an "on line pharmacy", and they were sent a blood thinner instead.

Americas Watchdog wants to shut down all illegal Internet pharmacies and assist in the prosecution of illegal "on line pharmacies" or counterfeit drug manufacturers and counterfeit cigarette manufactures or "retailers". If you are an executive or a law firm representing Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Astrozeneca, Aventis, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Bristol Meyers or any other pharmaceutical company or an executive or law firm representing Altria, Reynolds American, British American Tobacco or other cigarette manufacturers, please contact America's Watchdog's Global Piracy & Counterfeiting Consultants to learn more about our global anti-counterfeiting initiatives. If you are a consumer, a law firm representing a corporate client or a corporate executive and would like more information about Americas Watchdog's worldwide counterfeiting initiatives, please contact them at their web site Http://GP-CC.Com or call 866-714-6466.

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Americas Watchdog
THOMAS MARTIN
866-714-6466
E-mail Information
Trackback URL: http://prweb.com/pingpr.php/Q3Jhcy1QaWdnLUZhbHUtRW1wdC1UaGlyLVplcm8= More…

The rise and rise of Viagra has created a 1.5bn worldwide market in anti-impotence pills.

Now rivals are fighting for a share of the spoils and it is becoming a recreational drug of choice for some in the party generation.

Last week, Pfizer's chief executive Henry McKinnell warned that Chinese made counterfeits posed a threat to its business and urged the country's authorities to clamp down on the copycats.

New research

Pfizer, the world's biggest pharmaceutical company, stumbled on the drug by accident at their research labs in Sandwich, Kent.

In the late 1980s, they had been developing a new treatment for angina, but noticed a strange side-effect in trials - increased erections among volunteers.

The effect on their sex lives was so marked that once the angina trails were over the volunteers wanted to keep on taking the medication.

Pfizer decided to commission some new research.

In 1989 they approached Clive Gingell, one of Britain's top Urological Surgeons, based in Bristol.

He had spent his whole career trying to treat and improve the lives of thousands of men suffering from impotence.

In those days, commonly used treatments included the fitting of implants directly into the penis, a vacuum pump and self injection.

Most sufferers were thoroughly put off and consigned themselves to a life without sex.

Viagra arrives

Mr Gingell ran a new series of trials, and the results impressed him.

Pfizer chief executive McKinnell says copycats pose a threat

He describes Viagra as "a wonder drug".

"The thought of having a pill that would cure impotence was amazing to me," he says.

"I never thought I would see it in my lifetime."

"There has been a kind of Holy Grail idea associated with curing impotence," Pfizer's Mariann Caprino tells the Money Programme.

"And here it was in a little blue pill."

Colossal market

When Viagra was launched in 1998, Pfizer's share price doubled. It was apparent that there was a huge previously untapped market out there.

Doctors claim that half of all men over 40 become impotent at some point in their lives.

That is more than 150 million worldwide, with two million sufferers in Britain alone, so the potential market for drugs like Viagra is colossal.

Overnight Viagra made Pfizer famous. "We discovered the mass production of penicillin, yet it was Viagra that put Pfizer on the map," says Ms Caprino.

Embarrassing subject

Nevertheless, despite the highly successful launch, the company faced a huge potential problem in selling Viagra.

Men were simply not willing to talk about impotence, they were ashamed.

If they were not prepared to discuss their impotence, how could they be persuaded to ask their doctor for a prescription?

Ray Reynolds, who suffered from impotence for 30 years, had simply given up hope of ever being able to have sex again.

"I thought well, I'll just put it to one side and remain a eunuch for the rest of my life," he says.

Celebrity endorsement

To overcome the problem, Pfizer came up with a series of marketing ploys.

Pfizer sponsors NASCAR, America's top spectator sport

Firstly, they asked the Vatican, and other world religious leaders, for their blessing. This headed off possible moral and religious objections.

Secondly, they employed big name celebrities to encourage men to seek treatment for impotence.

Pele, the legendary footballer, headed a men's health campaign about erection problems, and 75 year old former US Presidential candidate Bob Dole went public for Pfizer about his own impotence problem.

American men rushed to their doctors.

Leon Steinberg, an 84-year-old impotence sufferer living in a retirement community in Florida, was impressed by Mr Dole's courage in coming forward.

"When I saw it on TV, I admired him for it," he says.

"You might say he was my idol."

Withdrawal of campaign

Pfizer decided not to use the term "impotence" in the advertisements, instead replacing it with a more bland technical term "erectile dysfunction".

Pfizer's Mike Suesserman says the new term "allowed us to make the condition a household name".

Pfizer reasoned that few men may admit to impotence, which employs a complete loss of ability, but a lot more may own up to erectile dysfunction, which suggests a much broader range of symptoms.

But Pfizer's aggressive marketing campaign has recently run into trouble.

A recent television advertisement has been criticized in the United States for suggesting that Viagra might be better and more effective for patients than the clinical experience suggests.

The Food and Drug Administration ordered its withdrawal.

Efficient sex

There are potential problems, too, in the increasing use of Viagra as a recreational drug.

Half of all men over 40 become impotent at some point

"For a lot of gay people it is just a normal way of life," says Gary Mercado, who runs the Elysium Resort, the largest gay hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

When Viagra is taken with amphetamines, "you forget about having protective sex, so there are huge capabilities of transmitting all sorts of sexual diseases", he says.

Pfizer says that a very small percentage of people abuse Viagra, but accepts there is great potential in developing the market for sexual pharmaceuticals.

Meika Loe, author of the book The Rise of Viagra, agrees: "In the Viagra era, sexuality is subject to the cult of efficiency. It's become almost McDonald's-ised. Serve it up fast and hot."

The Money Programme: Viagra: The Hard Sell was broadcast at 2200 GMT on Wednesday, 9 February on BBC Two .

Originaly from Source

US states have been told they do not have to pay to provide the impotence drug Viagra to convicted sex offenders.

The move comes after an audit found 198 convicts in New York state had been reimbursed by Medicaid for the drug between January and March 2000.

Their crimes included offences against children as young as two.

The Medicaid programme, whose cost is shared by states and the federal government, provides health care for the poor.

The federal Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services said they should not pay for erectile dysfunction drugs for sex offenders.

Spokesman Gary Karr said "states already have the power to determine if a drug is not medically appropriate for a certain patient or certain class of patients", the Associated Press news agency reported.

"Public risk"

The New York audit, conducted by Comptroller Alan Hevesi, did not cover other states, but Mr Hevesi said states are required by law to include Viagra in Medicaid programmes covering prescription drugs when medically necessary.

He said the policy raised "serious policy considerations and has the potential to place the public at risk" and asked the government to take administrative action or amend the Medicaid law.

On Monday, Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist said that Medicaid had paid $93,000 to provide Viagra to 218 sex offenders in that state over the last four years, AP reported.

New York Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton have both indicated they back a change in policy.

Sen Schumer said: "It is just mind-boggling to think that Level 3 sexual offenders can get Viagra, which may indeed help them perpetrate other horrible crimes.

"Giving convicted sex offenders government-funded Viagra is like giving convicted murderers an assault rifle when they get out of jail," Schumer said.

Originaly from Source

NEW YORK (AP) - A New York City man has sued the maker of the health drink Boost Plus, claiming the vitamin-enriched beverage gave him an erection that would not subside and forced him to seek hospital treatment.

The lawsuit filed by Christopher Woods, of Manhattan, said he bought the nutrition beverage, which is made by the Swiss-based Novartis pharmaceutical company, at a drugstore June 5, 2004.

Novartis's Boost Plus website describes the drink as "a great tasting, high-calorie, nutritionally complete oral supplement for people who require extra energy and protein in a limited volume," in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. More…

A Harley Street doctor prescribed expensive impotence remedies which were useless if not dangerous, a GMC disciplinary hearing has been told.

Dr Moloy Prakash Sahu of the Wellman Clinic, 57 Harley Street, gave creams and pills which had "no evidence" of treating sexual problems, it heard.

He failed to check medical histories or possible psychological problems, said expert witness Laurence Sandler.

Dr Sahu denies serious professional misconduct. The hearing continues.

Mr Sandler, of Wycombe General Hospital, said he had examined patient records and notes made by Dr Sahu and could not understand the drugs and other preparations that had been prescribed.

He noted Dr Sahu had spent little time talking through the sex problems of his patients before prescribing.

"I spend a long time talking to them. It is very difficult but you have to get a rapport with them. It is a very sensitive problem," said Mr Sandler.

Psychological factors

Mr Sandler said the cause of low libido was often psychological, or caused by factors such as high blood pressure, smoking and drinking.

But Dr Sahu had failed to discuss this in detail with the patients, he said.

There was an average of a three month course of treatment made up of vitamins and washes for each man and the cost would be in the region of 1,500 to 2,000 Lynn Griffin, for the GMC

Mr Sandler also warned about Dr Sahu's prescriptions for the sex drug Viagra.

"There is a significant failure rate. It isn't a catch-all. It doesn't work all the time."

The hearing was held after three patients at the clinic, which charges up to 2,000 a time for treatment, complained to the GMC.

Earlier, it was told that one patient who complained that a 12 week course of treatment had failed to work was "flabbergasted" by an invitation to sign up for another course.

Another was prescribed a drug which, mixed with an anti-depression drug he was already taking, could have proved fatal.

That patient was also treated for a condition he did not suffer.

'True purpose'

Lynn Griffin, for the GMC, said Dr Sahu targeted "vulnerable men" suffering impotence problems to earn "ridiculous amounts of money".

She said the doctor's "deference" to non-medically qualified members of the clinic's staff illustrated the "true purpose" of the establishment.

That "was to get vulnerable men to part with money for treatment which was not effective and certainly overpriced," she said.

This clinic appears to have a standard form of treatment which is meted out regardless of the condition presented by the patient Lynn Griffin GMC

Dr Sahu prescribed a range of vitamins, herbal washes, creams and other drugs which were on the whole "inappropriate", she said.

Often his contact with patients was "minimal", while other staff persuaded them to sign up for treatments.

Ms Griffin also said the price of the treatments appeared excessive.

"There was an average of a three month course of treatment made up of vitamins and washes for each man and the cost would be in the region of 1,500 to 2,000," she said.

Charges denied

She said despite each patient suffering a range of problems, the men were given similar treatment.

"This clinic appears to have a standard form of treatment which is meted out regardless of the condition presented by the patient.

"For most patients the prescribing was inappropriate - the drugs would have been ineffective and no matter how many washes and creams were given to these gentlemen along with these medications it would not have assisted their problem," said Ms Griffin.

One patient told the hearing the clinic had since paid the costs of his treatment, plus interest, as a result of a small claims court ruling.

Dr Sahu, of Walthamstow, East London, denies 11 charges amounting to serious professional misconduct, arising from his treatment of patients at the clinic between July 2000 and June 2001.

Originaly from Source

Smoking damages almost all aspects of sexual, reproductive and child health, according to a report.

The study, by the British Medical Association, says smoking has caused impotence in 120,000 men aged 30-50.

It is responsible for up to 5,000 miscarriages a year, reduces the chances of successful IVF and is implicated in cases of cervical cancer.

The BMA is calling for tough anti-smoking measures, including help for pregnant women to avoid passive smoke.

BMA recommendations Women exposed to passive smoking at work should be entitled to leave of absence on full pay throughout their pregnancy Tobacco warnings should include risks to reproductive health Smoking should not be glamorised in the media Government targets to reduce smoking should be more ambitious Enclosed public places should be smoke-free

The report concludes that the damage inflicted by smoking is evident throughout reproductive life - from puberty to middle age.

Not only can smoking prevent people starting a family, the report says, it can also damage their children.

It says smoking reduces the chances of a woman conceiving by up to 40% per cycle.

And women who smoke during pregnancy are three times more likely to have a low birth-weight baby. Low birth weight is closely linked to illness and death in infancy.

There is also evidence that smoking may increase the risk of certain foetal malformations, such as cleft lip and palate.

Women who smoke have also been found to produce smaller volumes of lower quality breastmilk.

Passive smoking is linked to cot death, premature birth, respiratory infection in children and the development of childhood asthma.

It is estimated that each year more than 17,000 children under five years old are admitted to UK hospitals because of respiratory illness caused by exposure to other people's cigarette smoke.

Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA's Head of Science and Ethics, said: "The sheer scale of damage that smoking causes to reproductive and child health is shocking.

"Women are generally aware that they should not smoke while pregnant but the message needs to be far stronger.

"Men and women who think they might want children one day should bin cigarettes.

"And we're not just talking about having children. Men who want to continue to enjoy sex should forget about lighting up given the strong evidence that smoking is a major cause of male sexual impotence."

Devastating impact

Deborah Arnott, director of anti-smoking charity ASH, said: "This report clearly shows the devastating impact of smoking on generations to come.

"Stopping smoking should be the number one priority for anyone who wants to have children.

"This is important not just to increase the chances of conception but also to give your child the best start in life.

"By stopping smoking, parents will not only improve their own health but will lessen the chances of their children developing illnesses such as asthma and pneumonia."

Originaly from Source