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Sildenafil citrate, sold as Viagra, Revatio and under various other trade names, is a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). It was developed and is being marketed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. It acts by inhibiting cGMP specific phosphodiesterase type 5, an enzyme that regulates blood flow in the penis. Since becoming available in 1998, sildenafil has been the prime treatment for erectile dysfunction; its primary competitors on the market are tadalafil (Cialis) and vardenafil (Levitra). It is frequently called the 'blue pill'.

Scientists develop new NO delivery system to fortify effects of Viagra in the body

Scientists are reporting development and successful initial tests of a potential new delivery system for the biological signaling agent responsible for the effects of Viagra.

24 Jun 2011

Many herbal medicines banned under EU directives

According to the new EU rules that came into force over the weekend, hundreds of herbal remedies are now banned. The laws are aimed at protecting consumers from potentially damaging “traditional” medicines.

1 May 2011

Panax ginseng, saffron and yohimbine can boost human sexual function

Looking to spice up your sex life? Try adding ginseng and saffron to your diet. Both are proven performance boosters, according to a new scientific review of natural aphrodisiacs conducted by University of Guelph researchers.

28 Mar 2011

New insight into Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Armed with a zebrafish model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and a library of 1,200 chemicals already approved for human use, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have identified a compound that reverses the loss of muscle structure and function associated with DMD, seemingly by compensating for the loss of a critical protein.

19 Mar 2011

A Medicare mistake: Paying for Viagra

The Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General concluded that the program paid more than $3 million in 2007 and 2008 for this drug, even though it is against the law for Medicare to pay for Viagra prescriptions.

16 Mar 2011

First Edition: March 15, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about the pace of legal challenges to the health law as well as ongoing congressional attempts to reach partisan agreement on a short-term budget bill to avert a government shutdown.

15 Mar 2011

'Cross-talk' between two major biological pathways may hold a clue for chronic pain treatment

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have discovered a "cross-talk" between two major biological pathways that involve pain-research that may pave the way to new approaches to understanding and controlling chronic pain.

9 Mar 2011

LibiGel may be the first FDA approved product to treat HSDD in menopausal women

BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a pharmaceutical company developing products for the treatment of female sexual health, today announced results of a survey of over 100 Obstetrician/Gynecologists and Primary Care Physicians regarding the need for an FDA-approved drug to treat a form of Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD) known as Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD).

11 Jan 2011

Man Up Now capsules can dangerously lower blood pressure

Product marketed for sexual enhancement contains potentially dangerous ingredient The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to use Man Up Now capsules, marketed as a dietary supplement for sexual enhancement, because they contain a variation of an active drug ingredient found in Viagra that can dangerously lower blood pressure.

13 Dec 2010

Kennedy Krieger Institute launches phase II clinical trial to investigate Revatio for DMD treatment

Kennedy Krieger Institute announced today the launch of a first‐of‐its‐kind, phase II clinical trial to investigate a treatment for heart disease in individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

13 Oct 2010

Political Ads, rhetoric on health law heating up races in Alaska, Nevada, Pennsylvania

Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller said this week that his family took benefits years ago from Medicaid and a state program for low-income children and pregnant women despite his criticism of entitlement programs, The Associated Press reports.

11 Oct 2010

More support needed for erectile dysfunction says sexologist

According to sexologist Bettina Arndt, there are thousands of Australian men with erectile dysfunction who are sexually impotent because of their condition and the lack of affordable treatments. Arndt said that funds distribution for breast prostheses for female cancer patients is one of the examples of mismatches in funding.

3 Sep 2010

Prescription opioids can be gate way to illicit drug addiction: Study

Thirty-one of 75 patients hospitalized for opioid detoxification told University at Buffalo physicians they first got hooked on drugs legitimately prescribed for pain. Another 24 began with a friend's left-over prescription pills or pilfered from a parent's medicine cabinet. The remaining 20 patients said they got hooked on street drugs.

21 Aug 2010

Palatin reports positive results from bremelanotide Phase 1 trial for sexual dysfunction

Palatin Technologies, Inc. today announced positive results of a Phase 1 clinical trial of subcutaneously administered bremelanotide, its melanocortin agonist drug candidate for treatment of male erectile dysfunction (ED) and female sexual dysfunction (FSD). The results demonstrate that with subcutaneous administration consistent therapeutic blood plasma levels can be obtained without sustained clinically significant blood pressure effects and support the continued development of bremelanotide.

17 Aug 2010

Erectile dysfunction drug user over 40 more likely to have sexually transmitted diseases

Physicians who prescribe erectile dysfunction drugs for their male patients should be sure to discuss the importance of safer sex practices, even with older patients: that is an important implication of a report in the July 6 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The analysis of insurance records of more than 1.4 million U.S. men over 40 found that those who used ED drugs were more likely to have sexually transmitted diseases than were non-users.

6 Jul 2010

Palatin announces completion of patient dosing, database lock in bremelanotide study for ED

Palatin Technologies, Inc. today announced the completion of patient dosing and database lock in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple dose, crossover study of bremelanotide, its subcutaneously administered melanocortin agonist for treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). Palatin expects to report top-line data in the next calendar quarter.

24 Jun 2010

Magic Power Coffee can dangerously lower blood pressure, warns FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers that Magic Power Coffee, an instant coffee product marketed as a dietary supplement for sexual enhancement, contains an active drug ingredient that can dangerously lower blood pressure.

21 Jun 2010

Regulators miss deadline on medical loss ratios: Other implementation developments continue to emerge

Insurance regulators have missed an early deadline to set specific rules meant to ensure that insurers devote 80 to 85 percent of premium dollars to medical care, the so-called "medical loss ratio."

3 Jun 2010

Study: PDE5 inhibitors may increase permeability of blood brain barrier to Herceptin

New research by scientists at Cedars-Sinai's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute suggests that a drug currently approved to treat erectile dysfunction may significantly enhance the delivery of the anti-cancer drug Herceptin to certain hard-to-treat brain tumors.

10 May 2010

Today's Opinions and Editorials: The end of insurance rescissions, lessons from the health care rollout and the deficit panel's tough decisions

A lot of people laughed when Sue Lowden, the Nevada Republican running for the U.S. Senate, suggested last month that people start paying for their medical care with chickens. I didn't (Jonathan Cohn, 5/3).

3 May 2010