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Year
2007 |
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Viagra is tested on pregnant women to cure labour
problems
March 28, 2007
VIAGRA is being tested on pregnant women as Pfizer,
its manufacturer, tries to expand the $1.6bn (£800m, E1.2bn)
market for the blockbuster drug.
The trademark blue pill, which originally underwent trials as a
treatment for angina, is being tested as a remedy for high blood
pressure in pregnant women, as well as those suffering from pre-eclampsia,
a serious condition associated with premature deliveries of babies.
Pfizer could file for approval for use of the drug as a treatment
for pregnancy-related conditions in late 2008, which would have
the potential of adding hundreds of millions of dollars to sales.
It would be the latest proposal in a line of alternative uses for
Viagra. The worldwide patent
for Viagra expires between 2011 and 2013, and Pfizer want to maximize
sales while it has the chance. Researchers at Pfizer and elsewhere
are experimenting with use of the drug in treating strokes, pelvic
pain and heart failure.
The latest trials are being conducted at the Rambam Healthcare
Campus in Israel on women in weeks 24 to 33 of pregnancy suffering
from high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia.
Doctors believe that Viagra will widen the blood vessels that deliver
vital nutrition between the mother and the foetus. This would make
babies less likely to be born early or underdeveloped.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is the most common
health problem associated with pregnancy, and causes complications
in 2%-3% of pregnancies.
Pre-eclampsia occurs in approximately 5% of all pregnancies, and
is twice as likely in first-time mothers. Together, these disorders
kill 76,000 women and newborns each year. The cause of pre-eclampsia
has yet to be proved conclusively, but there is a link between the
condition and high blood pressure.
Source : The Business Online
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