Avanafil

Last Tuesday, Vivus, a pharmaceutical company, posted positive results from a trial of its new erectile dysfunction drug that is currently undergoing the review of the US Food and Drug Administration.

Avanafil, the experimental impotence drug, was proved to help 71% of patients to start the sexual intercourse within 15 minutes and after 6 hours after dosing.

In the 80% of cases, the 200-mg dose was sufficient for men suffering from ED, to get and maintain healthy erection.

The results of the clinical trial were published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Commenting on the findings, Irwin Goldstein, the investigator of Avanafil, said: “While PDE-5 inhibitors are currently used as first-line therapy for treatment of erectile dysfunction in the general population, what’s new and novel about avanafil is that it has a fast onset of action and high selectivity.”

The drug will appear in US pharmacies provided it gets the approval from US FDA.

Sports enhance sexual function

According to the latest study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, men engaged into physical activity are less prone to erectile dysfunction than those who are inactive.

The study was performed among men aged 18 to 40. The participants of the study took part in 2 experiments: the Paffenbarger Physical Activity Questionnaire and the International Index of Erectile Function.

Both tests clearly showed that men under 40, who exercised, have improved results as compared to those over 40 who lived sedentary lives.

Commenting on the findings, Dr. Wayland Hsiao, assistant professor of urology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA, said: “We hope that early screening for ED may be a gateway issue to help motivate young men to live healthily on a consistent basis so that they can possibly avoid health issues associated with a sedentary lifestyle, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”

A number of other studies that evaluate the correlation between sexual function and lifestyle have been published earlier by various researchers.

Viaguara Energy Drink

Recently, the confusion caused by the producer of an energy drink Viaguara was averted as the EU High Court made the decision.

The company was refused the right to register a trademark for its Viaguara energy and alcoholic drink. The EU High Court ruled that there are several reasons for that.

First, the Viagura name gives the producer an opportunity “to take unfair advantage of the distinctive character or repute of the trademark Viagra.”

Second, Viagra is a medical drug used to treat erectile dysfunction. It is a prescription drug, meaning that it can be sold only to those patients who have been prescribed to take Viagra by a doctor. Any confusion related to the name of the drug might have serious medical consequences. “Even if the non-alcoholic drinks concerned do not actually have the same benefits as a drug to treat erectile dysfunction, the consumer will be inclined to buy them thinking that he will find similar qualities, such as an increase in libido,” said the representative of the EU High Court.

The manufacturer of Viagra, Pfizer, warmly welcomed the court ruling.

Viagra might treat heart failure

The latest studies revealed that Viagra, the number one impotence drug in the world, is a great way to help patients suffering from diastolic heart failure.

This condition is characterized by abnormally inflexive ventricles that cannot get enough blood, which causes breathing difficulties.

Viagra is used to relax the heart due to the special enzyme that affects heart muscle cells.

The author of the study, Dr. Wolfgang Linke of the Ruhr Universitat Bochum in Bochum, Germany, said: “We have developed a therapy in an animal model that, for the first time, also raises hopes for the successful treatment of patients.”

The results of the study, which was held among dogs with diastolic heart failure, were published in late December in the Circulation journal.

Dr. Wolfgang Linke highlighted that the scientists already have “a molecular mechanism on hand to explain the effect” behind Viagra and that they plan to continue with the research.

Canadians and Sex

A recent survey conducted in Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Austria and other European countries, found out that Canadians are the least spontaneous in their sexual lives. The vast majority of respondents (67%) prefer to have sex on Saturdays, and usually have it 1.35 times a week.

Almost half of Canadians like evening sex, meaning they get into bed after 6 p.m.

Those who try to avoid sex typically cite tiredness and fatigue as their excuses. Also, women tend to complain about headaches, while men say they suffer from muscle pain. Interestingly enough, men are more likely to suspect women of excuses than vice versa.

The survey was performed by Eli Lilly and Co., the manufacturer of one of the most popular erectile drugs, Cialis. Over 13,000 men and women from the countries listed above participated in this online survey.

Commenting on the findings, Dr. Gerald Brock of the University of Western Ontario, said: those who do not have enough sex “simply don’t have the same quality of life as individuals who have a healthy sex life, There’s no question that when you restore that sexual activity and address their concerns, all measures show an improvement in overall quality of life.”

Viagra

Brits suffering from erectile dysfunction might soon face a restricted availability of ED drugs prescriptions under the National Health Service program.

Currently, NHS PCTs (primary care trusts) in a number of counties, including Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Berkshire East, Berkshire West and Buckinghamshire, have issued “recommendations” for general practitioners (GPs) to limit prescriptions of ED drugs. They believe that two tablets of Viagra, Levitra or Cialis a month is just enough for the patients.

Even though NHS spokespersons insist that “Any decision made by the PCT cannot prohibit prescribing, but will form a recommendation to GPs,” many GPs in fact say it is being presented as an edict.

Let’s remind that prescriptions of erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra and Cialis under the NHS scheme is already severely restricted. Only those suffering from diabetes, prostate cancer and multiple sclerosis are eligible for receiving free ED pills.

Baby Cerys with parents

The Daily Mail recently published a report, which suggests that erectile dysfunction drug #1 in the world, Viagra, helped saved another life.

This time, it was Cerys Small, a baby girl with a severe heart condition born in Newport, South Wales. The lack of blood circulation almost resulted in the baby’s death as the girl lived through 3 heart surgeries, none of which helped.

It was Viagra, the popular treatment for erectile dysfunction, that helped improve the blood circulation in the baby Cerys Small.

Since the baby has other health problems, which include but are not limited to complications with stomach and bowels, she will need to have further operations.

The girl will be prescribed Viagra till she reaches 5 years old and becomes strong enough to survive through a series of other surgeries.

Cerys’ family is very grateful to the doctors at the Bristol hospital who helped saved the baby’s life. So, the family members (Kerrie the mother, Gareth the father, and Evan and Megan the siblings) have raised 1,750 pounds ($2,730) to buy new equipment for the Bristol hospital.

On Monday, November 14th, Vivus announced that its erectile dysfunction drug Avanfil, which is currently being investigated, acts in as little as it minutes. The proportion of men, in whom the drug was successful, reached 83%. The data was presented at the Sexual Medicine Society of North America in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Commenting on he findings of the clinical trials, one of men’s healthcare professionals said: “Based on the results of the study, this onset of action suggests that avanafil, if approved, is potentially well-suited for on-demand treatment in men with mild to severe erectile dysfunction.”

The news caused an immediate reaction from investors, who have started buying Vivus shares. On Monday afternoon, the price of Vivus shares went up by 1.61% and reached $10.08 per share.

Vivus is to apply for the approval by the US Food and Drug Administration as it completes the trials of Avanfil.

ICD

Dr. Steven Cook and his colleagues recently found out that men with implanted cardioverter defibrillators are more prone to suffering from erectile dysfunction than men who do not have similar heart-related issues.

Patients with heart implants have a high anxiety level when it comes to sex because they think the device might give them a painful shock. Such thoughts, evidently, result in poor male potency.

The research was performed among 151 men, of whom 41 had heart implants (also known as ICDs).Men with ICDs were found to have lower sexual function and satisfaction scores.

In the opinion of the authors of the research and other healthcare professionals, men need to talk to their physician about physical activities with ICDs installed.

Dr. Albert Levy of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, says: “When you have sex, it’s the equivalent of climbing stairs,” Levy said. “If someone is capable of climbing stairs without their ICD kicking in, they should be able to have sex.”

The results of the study are to be discussed at the meeting of the American Heart Association, which is to be held on November, 15th.

Medications linked to ED

The results of the research published lately in the British Journal of Urology suggest that erectile dysfunction – the most widespread sexual problem among men – might be linked not only to aging and psychological factors, as previously believed.

Scientists from Southern California are determined that medications are one of the factors behind impotence. In their opinion, drugs are even more dangerous than stress or old age as they put men at a higher risk of developing erectile dysfunction.

Some of the drugs have more significant effect on men’s sexual function than others; these dangerous drugs include beta blockers, anti-depressants and similar anxiety medications.

During their study, researchers analyzed the effect of prescribed drugs as well as of the over-the-counter drugs. They discovered that men taking numerous medications suffered from a more severe form of erectile dysfunction than those who were not on any kind of medication. As such, almost 30% of men taking 10+ medications had severe potency problems, while only 6.9% of those taking 2 or fewer medications faced the same issues.

Commenting on the findings, Diana C. Londono, urologist at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, recommended men having difficulty with ED, to “consider curtailing any OTC medications that you don’t need. And then really work with your doctor to see if you can cut down on any of your prescription medications.”