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UK issues report linking Viagra to 102 deaths

–August 1, 2005

The UK's Daily Mail has reported that government figures indicate Pfizer Inc.'s erectile dysfunction drug Viagra has been linked to 102 deaths since it emerged on the market seven years prior.

The latest Viagra news follows claims that the drug may have been the cause of cases of blindness and other serious side effects, including heart attacks, angina, eye pain and vomiting. A federal lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. seeking monetary damages for the loss of vision allegedly caused by the use of Viagra. The plaintiff is also seeking class-action certification on behalf of all other men injured by Viagra, charging Pfizer failed to warn the public of Viagra blindness risks.

The UK report suggests "exacerbating existing heart conditions, particularly in men with blood-pressure problems," may have caused some of the deaths among Viagra users, as well as the result of "unfit men overexerting themselves."

Still, Dr. John Griffin, former editor of the medical journal Adverse Drug Reactions, believes the actual number of deaths related to Viagra could be up to 10 times higher than government records. Griffin says previous research has shown just one in ten adverse drug reactions are reported, which, in the case of Viagra, could mean the real number of deaths related to the drug is closer to 1,000.

The FDA approved updated labeling for Viagra, as well as erectile dysfunction drugs Levitra and Cialis, on July 8 to reflect a small number of post-marketing reports of sudden vision loss, attributed to NAION. The agency advised patients to discontinue use of the drugs and call a doctor immediately should sudden blindness or decreased vision loss occur in one or both eyes.

NAION, or non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, is an irreversible blindness, and the FDA has disclosed it has received some 43 reports of the vision loss since 1998. The FDA advised patients taking Viagra and other similar drugs to inform their doctors if they have ever suffered severe loss of vision since patients who have suffered NAION before are at an increased risk of developing it again.

At the time of the Viagra labeling changes, the FDA said it was not possible to determine if the use of the erectile dysfunction drugs caused or contributed to reports of vision loss or if preexisting health problems were to blame. Health Canada also issued safety warnings shortly after the FDA in response to two possible cases of blindness among Canadian men taking Viagra.

For more information on Viagra, please contact us to confer with an attorney.

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