Viagra, the famous anti-impotency drug which has changed the sex lives of millions of men and women, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration ten years ago this week.
The drug, the first ever oral treatment for erectile dysfunction, was actually discovered by mistake. Dr Brian Klee, senior medical director at Pfizer, told French news agency AFP: "Originally, we were testing sildenafil, the active drug in Viagra, as a cardiovascular drug and for its ability to lower blood pressure.
"But one thing that was found during those trials is that people didn't want to give the medication back because of the side effect of having erections that were harder, firmer and lasted longer.''
Viagra has been a huge commercial success, with widespread usage by over 30 million men in 130 countries netting Pfizer £1.5 billion each year. It is estimated that 9 Viagra tablets are sold every second.
Last year here in the UK around 17 million Viagra prescriptions were dispensed at a cost of £58 million to the NHS.
The drug, the first ever oral treatment for erectile dysfunction, was actually discovered by mistake. Dr Brian Klee, senior medical director at Pfizer, told French news agency AFP: "Originally, we were testing sildenafil, the active drug in Viagra, as a cardiovascular drug and for its ability to lower blood pressure.
"But one thing that was found during those trials is that people didn't want to give the medication back because of the side effect of having erections that were harder, firmer and lasted longer.''
Viagra has been a huge commercial success, with widespread usage by over 30 million men in 130 countries netting Pfizer £1.5 billion each year. It is estimated that 9 Viagra tablets are sold every second.
Last year here in the UK around 17 million Viagra prescriptions were dispensed at a cost of £58 million to the NHS.
