Pfizer’s Viagra celebrates its 10th birthday
Since its introduction a decade ago, Viagra has transformed the sexual landscape for men – and women – of a certain age. Olga Craig reports
It has spawned an industry of “nudge, nudge” jokes and is the basis for a forthcoming Hollywood comedy. It has saved thousands of relationships, restored the fragile egos of millions of men and has put a smile on the lips of an awful lot of women.
Viagra – that little, diamond-shaped blue pill – has also given writer’s cramp to a considerable number of doctors: it has been swallowed by twice as many men who admit to having ever seen one, never mind taken one.
The anti-impotence pill that has transformed the sexual landscape for those of a certain age, in the process becoming the fastest-selling drug in history, is celebrating its 10th birthday.
Its success at restoring men’s fading sexual function has been nothing short of legendary. It has been the saviour of many relationships (and destroyed a few), and has, along the way, saved both the lives of a premature baby and a pet dog, turned one man’s vision blue, been cited in several celebrity divorces and has even revived a flagging Christmas tree.
Commercially, its success has been huge, netting its maker Pfizer, the pharmaceutical firm, ?1.5 billion annually. About 30 million men in 120 countries take it, with nine tablets being prescribed every second.
Many millions more buy it from internet sites, where Viagra is sold for as little as 50p a tablet, compared with the ?5 it costs at a chemist.
In England, the NHS spent ?58 million on Viagra last year and dispensed 17 million prescriptions – 8.3 million to men under 60 and a further 8.7 million to those over 60.
But perhaps its greatest success has been in tackling the social stigma men attach to impotence, by making it easier for those who face the misery associated with sexual dysfunction to approach their doctors.
In a culture such as ours, which sets enormous store by masculine “performance”, admitting to impotence, even to a GP, is embarrassing for many men.
“The fact is, they will try all manner of things before coming into the surgery,” says Dr Ian Gillingham, a London-based GP. “They will write to agony aunts, health columnists, practically anyone, before making a doctor’s appointment.
“Or at least they did. Men find it much easier now. It is easier for them to come in and say: ‘I think I may need Viagra.’ It means they don’t have to use the impotence word, which helps.”
Before its discovery, the treatments available ranged from vacuum pumps to injections. With Viagra, things couldn’t be simpler. One hour after being taken, it is time to draw the curtains, turn back the bed covers and leap into action.
The criteria for its prescription, however, are stringent. Only those who suffer from diabetes, MS, Parkinson’s, polio, prostate cancer, kidney failure, severe pelvic injury, neurological disease, spinal cord injury or spina bifida are entitled to receive it on the NHS.
Given that in 30 per cent of cases the causes of impotence are psychological, the result has been that two million British men each year turn to the internet to buy it.
In doing so, says the Pharmaceutical Society, they are playing Russian roulette with their health. “Dishonest traders are selling Viagra online,” says David Pruce, the society’s director of practice. “The products they sell can be poor quality at best and dangerous at worst.”
Even more worrying are the numbers who have begun to use Viagra as a recreational drug, mixing it with cocaine or Ecstasy. “It is a lethal combination and the youngsters who take both substances are risking their lives,” he says.
Even for those who are legitimately prescribed the drug, the list of possible side-effects is worrying. They include headaches, flushes, upset stomachs and, bizarrely, a blue tinge to vision. The latter was something John Pettigrew, 58, from Brighton in East Sussex, learnt to his cost.
Delighted with the results of the Viagra prescribed by his GP, Mr Pettigrew decided to buy more from the internet. “At first I didn’t notice any side-effects, so I kept taking more,” he says. “Frankly, I was having too much fun. Then I woke up one day to find my vision affected. I could only see in shades of blue.”
Mr Pettigrew became the butt of the inevitable jokes. He, however, doesn’t find it funny. “I would give up sex if I could see a red postbox again,” he says. “At least I’m a Chelsea fan.”
The drug has, however, been invaluable in ways no one could have been predicted. When Lewis Goodfellow was born prematurely last year, weighing only 1lb 8oz, one of his lungs failed. An injection of liquid Viagra ensured that tiny blood vessels in his lungs widened to give his body sufficient oxygen.
For the majority of users, however, Viagra has been invaluable. Jack Nicholson boasts he takes it when “I have more than one woman on the go”.
Similarly, Peter Stringfellow and Vidal Sassoon have sung its praises. Not everyone is willing to be associated with it. Simon Cowell reputedly turned down ?1 million to front a Viagra advertisement.
For David McGrath, a former creative director with Saatchi, Viagra may yet become his biggest moneyspinner. Not that he takes it, of course. But, 10 years ago, when Pfizer began manufacturing Viagra at its factory in Ringaskiddy, Co Cork, Eire, Mr McGrath hit upon the idea of scripting a comedy about fictitious villagers who became frisky overnight after inhaling Viagra fumes.
His film, Something in the Air, was optioned by Madonna’s company, Maverick, and is now set to become a Hollywood film starring Colin Farrell. “The humour factor associated with Viagra is huge,” he says. “It can’t fail to make people laugh.”
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