New Drug Could Deflate Viagra's Rising Fortune

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Feb 15, 1999 | by Ruth Larson

Viagra, the most successful drug ever launched, may have competition beginning this summer -- a faster-acting anti-impotence pill without harmful or annoying side effects.

The little blue pill that aroused the nation soon may get its first competitor -- a triangular white tablet called Vasomax that works twice as fast as Viagra and without side effects. The Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, could approve the new treatment as early as this summer.

Vasomax, developed by Texas-based Zonagen, is an oral version of an injection drug that dilates blood vessels in the penis. (Its ingredient -- phentolamine -- originally was developed in the 1950s as a treatment for high blood pressure.) Trials have shown it can help 30 to 40 percent of men with moderate impotence.

Women eventually may benefit from the drug, too. In December, Zonagen began medical trials for Vasomax involving 60 women, says Jean Anne Mire, vice president of investor relations. In British trials, the drug was said to enhance sexual pleasure.

Pfizer, which manufactures Viagra, also is testing its drug on 100 women in Europe, with results expected later this year. If the results appear promising, the pharmaceutical company would expand the trials and conduct large-scale tests on women in the United States.

Men, of course, will continue to be the prime target for anti-impotence drugs. More than 6 million prescriptions have been written for Viagra since its FDA approval last March, making it the fastest-selling new drug ever. The pill's astonishing popularity generated an unprecedented public discussion of a heretofore private issue.

"This drug has certainly broken brand-new territory, getting men to talk about a condition that wasn't talked about before," says Pfizer spokeswoman Mariann Caprino. "We believe more and more men will seek treatment for erectile dysfunction."

An estimated 3.5 million men use Viagra, and the drug helps at least 70 percent of them, according to Caprino. "We think we have the best drug and will continue to have the best drug."

But Vasomax officials believe their product could become even more popular than Viagra. Vasomax, which is absorbed in the stomach more quickly than Viagra, takes effect in just 15 to 30 minutes vs. an hour for Viagra. And unlike Viagra, Vasomax safely can be used by men taking nitrate-based heart medicines and does not produce bluish vision tints.

Both drugs act on the blood vessels in the muscle of the penis, but they trigger erections in different ways. Vasomax overrides the nerves that prevent tissue from becoming engorged with blood. Viagra targets an enzyme that regulates blood flow to the penis.

Zonagen has licensed Schering-Plough Corp., based in New Jersey, to market the product worldwide. Vasomax already is licensed in Mexico and sold under the name Z-max.