Contact A Lawyer
Near You

Contact us today for a complimentary consultation with a qualified attorney near you.

Viagra Information

According to Pfizer Inc., since its erectile dysfunction drug Viagra was approved in 1998, 23 million men around the world have used the drug. Despite the drug's popularity and well-branded name, the FDA announced it had received reports of partial vision loss in some men who had used Viagra. At the time of the FDA announcement, 42 reports of a type of vision loss called nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) were made in men using drugs for erectile dysfunction - 38 of these occurred in men who took Viagra.

Caused by poor blood flow to the optic nerve, NAION usually affects one eye, and the vision loss that results can be temporary or permanent. It is not yet known if Viagra is directly linked to NAION since the vision loss and erectile dysfunction both have share many of the same risks factors. Men over the age of 50 who have health problems like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure or high cholesterol often take Viagra for erectile dysfunction, and these risk factors are associated to NAION as well.

Pfizer said in a press release that there was no evidence showing men who use Viagra are more likely to develop NAION than men of similar age and health who do not take Viagra, but the FDA is still reviewing the reports and is in talks with the company about revising Viagra labeling. Although many experts believe the Viagra risks are not strong enough to warrant a future recall, the news that Pfizer had been in discussion with the FDA was enough to send investors scrambling and the company's stock to fall.

Viagra is one of Pfizer's most recognized drug brands, but the announcement of possible additional Viagra risks will probably injure the company's reputation more than its financial standing. The links to cases of blindness among Viagra users is just one more blow to the company who has faced accusations that its $3.4 billion a year antidepressant drug Zoloft was connected to suicide in children and teens in 2004, and then in April 2005, the company recalled its arthritis drug Bextra after a link to heart failure in some patients and a rare, potentially deadly skin reaction was discovered.

Viagra brought in $1.7 billion in 2004, which was down 11 percent from 2003. Compared to Pfizer's biggest money making drug, cholesterol-lowering Lipitor, Viagra's $1.7 billion is meager to the $10.9 billion in revenue the top selling drug brings in to the company.

Even before the latest Viagra announcement was made, the drug was known to cause some abnormal vision, including some blurriness and a bluish tint. Until more conclusive statements about the cases of temporary blindness or partial vision loss in men taking Viagra has been made, patients with a history of NAION in one eye especially should be cautioned that use of Viagra could increase risk of NAION in the other eye.

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

Contact a Viagra Recall Lawyer

More Viagra Resources

MedLine Plus Drug Information - Guide to prescription and over-the-counter medications provided by the United States Pharmacopeia.

Viagra.com - Official site of Viagra, a product of Pfizer.