Looking back over previous articles on The Online Clinic news blog it is perhaps surprising to see how often Viagra is in the news headlines- not merely on the blog itself but in the British national media as well. Since it went on the market just over ten years ago the profile of Viagra has remained at the forefront of medicine. This fact, however, is not simply due to the fact that Viagra has helped literally millions of men with Erectile Dysfunction, but that scientists are constantly discovering new uses for the drug.
This is perhaps not all that surprising. Many drugs which are on the market for the treatment of a particular condition were initially being developed as treatments for other conditions. Viagra was originally being developed as a treatment for angina when its ‘side effects’ as an Erectile Dysfunction treatment were discovered. That drugs which are already readily available are discovered to have beneficial effects on other conditions, therefore, should not be seen as all that remarkable.
Yet it seems that Viagra’s uses are becoming more and more varied. We have reported stories on this blog that range from the drug being prescribed to a premature baby to open a collapsed lung to the news that the Israeli army have prescribed the drug to its fighter pilots to increase blood flow to their brains at high altitude. Now this week scientists at the University of Iowa have discovered that Viagra might have another use- to help patients who are suffering with Muscular Dystrophy to overcome the fatigue which is incurred with the condition. The research was published in the medical journal Nature and suggested that the research has come up with an ‘exciting finding’ which showed that Viagra could help in overcoming this fatigue.
Pfizer, who developed and manufacture Viagra are keen to develop uses for the drug and do not see it merely as a treatment for ED. A variant of the drug is already being used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension and is being sold as Revatio. Only time will tell what future developments are in store for this extremely versatile and exciting medication.