Scientists in Miami believe that sildenafil – the medical name for Viagra – may have another medical use in helping new-born babies adjust to breathing outside of the womb. In a trial of 49 babies suffering from failure in their circulation, the medication was shown to lead to a significant improvement in how much oxygen was getting around the body. There was a 92% survival rate amongst the babies who received the drug, compared with the 50% survival rate of the babies who were given the placebo.
In the trials, which took place in three centres in Mexico and El Salvador, the babies were given the drug every six hours from when they were born to three days afterwards. The 2mg/kg adult dose of medication was crushed, diluted and then delivered through a tube.
The discovery is likely to have a particularly significant impact in developing countries. In the West, babies are usually treated with nitric oxide gas, which is inhaled. However in countries with less advanced or well-funded healthcare, this gas is often unavailable or prohibitively expensive.
Babies in the third world who suffer from failure in their systemic or pulmonary circulation make up 90% of cases around the world and due to lack of access to treatment, between 40 and 80% of them die, according to Dr. Amed Soliz, who led the study at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Miami Children’s Hospital. However, even in developing regions, Viagra is inexpensive and easily available. The new use of the drug therefore could bring hope to millions of newborns and their parents. After a series of smaller studies and now this larger test, the next stage is hopefully a comparison between the efficacy of nitric oxide gas and Viagra as a treatment option.