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Year
2007 |
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Archives
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Viagra can save lives too!
April 6, 2007
Pfizer's blockbuster drug Viagra (sildenafil citrate),
hitherto approved for use in treatment
of erectile dysfunction, may soon acquire a new identity as
a "life saving drug" in treating pulmonary arterial hypertension
in children.
While the ongoing global clinical trials conducted by Pfizer
on the new use of the drug is showing promising results, Indian
drug regulators are exploring the possibilities of making the drug
legally available for additional indications.
Doctors in various Indian hospitals are already prescribing sildenafil
in critical cases.
Though the drug is not meant for other indications, the off-label
use of sildenafil, using doctors’ discretionary powers, is
proving to be “live saving”, a National Pharmacovigilance
Advisory Committee (NPAC) source informed.
The NPAC, which had put sildenafil citrate under the “focused
monitoring” list of drugs, is known to have seen no adverse
reactions that suggest further restrictions on the drug.
Further, according to research around the world, sildenafil can
work wonders in some life-threatening situations.
Viagra are currently approved as a prescription drug for use in
erectile dysfunction and enjoy a domestic market worth Rs 100 crore.
Source : Business Standard
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