Further proof of the potential for other uses of the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra came this week when it emerged that the medication saved the life of a baby who was given just weeks to live.
Alfie Oliver was diagnosed with narrow blood vessels around his lungs after he was born and at just a few days old underwent a series of dangerous heart operations to repair the condition. After he suffered a heart attack, his doctors believed there was nothing more to be done to save his life.
The baby was diagnosed with two different conditions, transposition of the great arteries – meaning that his pulmonary artery and aorta were in reversed positions – and pulmonary hypertension. At sixteen days, he was operated on to reverse the position of the arteries but despite a promising start was readmitted to hospital.
Hope came when Great Ormond Street doctors heard about his prognosis and suggested that doses of Viagra might open up his narrow vessels and improve his circulation. The treatment worked, and now Alfie has reached his 1st birthday, a milestone his parents and family thought they would not ge to see.
The medication has been particularly successful as due to his age, Alfie has experienced none of the side effects usually associated with the drug.
Previous studies have already shown that Viagra can relieve pulmonary hypertension in newborns and may be particularly useful in developing countries, which cannot afford the more expensive drugs usually used to treat the condition.