Is Viagra an Ergogenic Aid? by Jerry Brainum 12/23

 

In 1989, two scientists worked in a drug development laboratory owned by the Pfizer pharmaceutical company in Exeter, England. The scientists, Peter Dunn and Albert Wood were seeking a new drug that could treat hypertension or high blood pressure, as well as angina pectoris, which causes chest pain due to narrowed coronary arteries. They had tested several experimental compounds and now were working on one that had the code name UK-92480. As part of their research, the experimental drug was given to rats with hypertension, and it seemed to work well. That led to it being administered to human patients who also suffered from either hypertension or angina. But as soon as the drug was given to the men in the hospital ward, the nurse who checked on them was surprised to find that all the men in the ward were lying on their stomachs. When they turned over on their backs, the reason for their unusual bed posture became apparent: they all had erections that embarrassed them because the erections seemed to come out of nowhere.

The experimental drug proved to be a failure in treating human hypertension and angina despite working so well in lab animals. But a peculiarity and unexpected side effect saved the drug from obscurity, and the drug went on to be the most famous drug in the world. Not for treating hypertension but rather for treating erectile dysfunction. The experimental drug was called Sildenafil, and it didn't take long for Pfizer to realize that it was a potential gold mine. In 1991, Sildenafil was patented by Pfizer as a heart drug, but it was never used for that purpose. Instead, the experiences of the men in the hospital ward and further research showed that sildenafil was a potent treatment for erectile dysfunction. By 1996, Pfizer had obtained a patent for sildenafil in the United States, and the trade name applied to sildenafil was Viagra. Viagra was approved for sale by the Food and Drug Administration in 1998, and within weeks of its approval, Pharmacies had dispensed more than 40,000 prescriptions for Viagra. Former presidential candidate Bob Dole admitted that he took part in an experimental phase of Viagra and called it "A great drug." Pfizer later hired Dole to do television commercials extolling the benefits of Viagra. Reports emerged that the CIA was handing out Viagra pills in Afghanistan to "gain friends" in the region. Viagra proved to be an effective and extremely popular drug, and that popularity continues unabated to this day. Dozens of sites on the Internet sell Viagra at prices that range up to over $60 for a single pill, with much of what is sold fake. Indeed, when Pfizer ordered Viagra from 26 online outlets and analyzed them in their laboratories, they discovered that 81 percent of the drugs were fake. When you take a counterfeit drug, at best, you may get a placebo-type drug with . . .