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Viagra wins EU approval
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September 15, 1998: 6:24 a.m. ET
Impotence pill to hit the shelves in Europe, Britain readies health system
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - The European Commission Tuesday gave Pfizer Corp. the green light to market its blockbuster anti-impotence pill, Viagra, in the 15 European nations it represents.
But according to restrictions by the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products, the drug will be available by prescription only to men over 18 who suffer from problems maintaining erections for satisfactory sexual performance.
The agency said it should not be prescribed to men who are taking nitrates, who have recently had a stroke or heart attack, or suffer from low blood pressure or severe heart or liver problems.
However the British government, fearing that the high price of the drug could wreak havoc on the health care system, is placing limitations on Viagra.
Britain banned doctors Tuesday from prescribing the world best selling drug through the National Health Service, fearing demand for Pfizer's magic blue pill will cripple the government-funded NHS.
Viagra was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March. During its first four months on U.S. shelves, Pfizer sold more than 3.6 million prescriptions for the drug.
Earlier this month, the New England Journal of Medicine issued new warnings that potential health dangers associated with the drug, especially for men with heart problems, may be more wide-spread than warnings indicate.
Letters published in the journal raised new red flags about Viagra for men with heart trouble and disclosed a possibly fatal lung complication. Another letter tracked bladder infections in women whose spouses said they used the drug.
The popular prescription drug already is known to be hazardous to people with heart disease who take nitrate drugs, such as nitroglycerin tablets.
Shares of Pfizer (PFE) closed up 2-5/8 Monday at 103-1/4 on the New York Stock Exchange.
--from staff and wire reports.
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