We came across these interesting promotional materials (click the image to enlarge) for Viagra today, so we thought we’d share them. Even though the party blowers mark Viagra’s 11th birthday, by our calculations the drug turns 12 on March 27, 2010 — the anniversary of its FDA approval.

What medication are you looking for? Find it now!

Erectile Dysfunction drugs such as Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra have made huge strides in treating male sexual dysfunction — but have women been left behind? At this writing (September 2009), no treatment has been approved by the FDA for Female Sexual Dysfunctions (FSD), which are estimated by the Journal of the American Medical Association to affect 43% of American women (about 40 million) at some point in their lives.

It’s not for lack of trying. Pharmaceutical makers would love to tap into a market that’s the other 50% of the population. They are assertively researching the problem. So why has a result not come forward?

One issue is that, with men, “sexual dysfunction,” no matter whether the cause is mental or physical, is likely to respond as a pretty straightforward plumbing problem: Viagra and its counterparts, the Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitors, are vasodilators, meaning that they open up blood flow to the area, allowing an erection to be achieved and retained more easily. (More information on the effects of these vasodilators on women is below.)

But women’s sexuality is more complex and less understood, often caused by a range of physical, emotional, and psychological conditions. Simple manipulation of bloodflow only goes so far. Another element is that women have unique hormone issues, which often cause low libido, as they age. Finally, some researchers are experimenting with methods that place sexuality in the mind.

The good news is that research IS progressing. Here’s an update on where the various methods are:

THE BIG THREE (Viagra, Cialis, Levitra)

Researchers are looking into using male ED drugs on women suffering from FSD. In April of this year, a study by the American Physiological Society was described that compared the effects of three drugs used for erectile dysfunction (Viagra (sildenafil), Levitra (vardenafil), and Cialis (tadalafil)) on female rats. The researchers discovered that these drugs significantly increased blood flow to female sexual organs, and show promise for treating similar conditions in human women. Another study has shown that Viagra can help with orgasms in women who are taking SSRIs and suffering sexual dysfunction as a side effect.

There is promise here, but it is all forward-looking. The FDA has not approved these medications for use by women. We will be closely following the progress of this research.

HORMONAL TREATMENTS

The hormone testosterone drives sexual desire, and as women age, they typically lose some of both. There are some doctors that prescribe testosterone off-label to women to help with low desire, but this process is not approved by the FDA. There have been flops along the way to a hormonal treatment. Intrinsa, a testosterone patch for women, was turned down by the FDA in 2004 due to worries about long-term safety, and PT-141 was a nasal spray that was being tested to raise desire in both men and women when it was quashed by the FDA for having possible blood-pressure-related side effects.

In upcoming news, though, BioSante Pharmaceuticals of Illinois is in late-stage studies of a testosterone gel intended to remedy libido loss after menopause. The product, called LibiGel, is smeared on the upper arm and promotes a long, slow build-up of testosterone in women. We’ll be eagerly watching to see if LibiGel is approved by the FDA.

NEUROTRANSMITTER ADJUSTMENTS

A nonhormonal treatment for FSD is in late-stage testing. Boehringer Ingelheim’s Flibanserin, a pill to be taken daily, acts on serotonin receptors in the brain. Early reports suggest that the medication was not useful for treating depression (its intended use), but had the curious side effect of increasing desire in females. The company is now researching the drug’s effects directly in younger, premenopausal women who are suffering from low desire.

The reality is that there is no approved pharmaceutical treatment on the market for a condition that troubles millions of women. The good news is that there are a few promising treatments on the horizon, and we encourage women to follow issues like this in the news so that they will know when relief becomes available. Some of the companies mentioned in this article are conducting clinical trials of these medications, so if you are deeply interested and want to participate, that is a possibility, too. We should see some major changes in the field in the next few years.

1. Teens (aged 12 to 17) indicated, for the first time, that it is easier to acquire “prescription drugs such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin or Ritalin, without a prescription” than it is to buy beer.

2. While Internet pharmacies have been widely blamed for the increase in prescription drug abuse, few of the teens surveyed say that the drug abusers acquire their drugs from online pharmacies.

That’s right. Here’s what CASA’s press release says:

When teens who know prescription drug abusers were asked where those kids get their drugs:

• 31 percent said from friends or classmates;
• 34 percent said from home, parents or the medicine cabinet;
• 16 percent said other;
• Nine percent said from a drug dealer

You may recall that just last month, CASA issued a study warning that 85 percent of online pharmacies do not require a prescription. Clearly, the organization is strongly opposed (as we are) to rogue Internet pharmacies.

But I think it’s telling here that — even with all the negative media attention that Internet pharmacies are receiving — these kids didn’t say, “We buy our OxyContin online.” They said they’re sneaking pills from their parents’ medicine cabinets — or their friends’ parents’ medicine cabinets.

This says to me that we need to look beyond the easy scapegoat of Internet pharmacies in getting to the root of the problem of teen prescription drug abuse.

Could it be that the billions of dollars drug companies have spent to advertise, promote and sell their drugs have resulted in a flood of pills on the market?

Could it be that we’re taught by wall-to-wall direct-to-consumer advertising today that there’s “a pill for every ill”?

In this environment, isn’t it reasonable for teens to seek out the much-hyped prescription drugs they keep hearing about?

Let me give you one example. Viagra is a very popular drug among young men, including even teens, who are not impotent but believe that Viagra will improve their sexual performance. Do you think — for even a minute — that Viagra abuse would be as severe if Pfizer had not spent millions of dollars shouting “Viva Viagra” from every rooftop in America?

If you do, you’re kidding yourself. And if you think the problem of teen prescription drug abuse will be solved by focusing on Internet pharmacies rather than the larger issues at work, you’re also kidding yourself.

CTV.ca reports:

Viagra … was originally developed as a heart drug; its use as a treatment for erectile dysfunction was only accidentally discovered. The drug works by increasing the effects of nitric oxide, which makes blood vessels expand. That should theoretically allow blood cells to travel to the lungs more efficiently and to also receive more oxygen. It may also improve heart function…

“Just because you have more nitric oxide doesn’t mean that you are going to be a better athlete,” Butch said. “If you have all the nitric oxide you need, and if you generate more from Viagra, it’s not clear what effect that would have.”

Still, some preliminary studies have shown that cyclists taking Viagra improved their performances by up to 40 per cent.

“If you have more oxygen going to your muscles, that’s more energy and that makes you a better athlete,” said Dr. Andrew McCullough, a sexual health expert at New York University School of Medicine. “Even if it only gives you a 10 per cent increase, in peak athletes, that is enough to win,” he said.

Frankly, I wonder if Pfizer’s over-the-top direct-to-consumer marketing for Viagra — including the obnoxious Viva Viagra ad campaign — hasn’t contributed to athletes, along with others who don’t have erectile dysfunction, trying the drug.

We all know that countless men in their 20s who don’t have ED are using the drug because of its “performance-enhancing” benefits. It’s only natural that athletes, who are always looking for an edge, would buy into this, too.

They say they believe that such methods can cause what amounts to an abortion and that the contraceptives promote promiscuity, divorce, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and other societal woes.

The result of this trend has been “confrontations that have left women traumatized.” How would you like to walk into a pharmacy and essentially be told that in attempting to fill a legal prescription, you were committing a grievous sin?

Now, I have no intention of getting involved in the debate over abortion. But I think that, unless you have a big sign outside your pharmacy saying you do not fill prescriptions for contraceptives, it’s unfair to put female customers in the position of being embarrassed or ashamed for simply trying to buy birth control pills.

What’s next? Refusing to fill a prescription for Valtrex, because it treats herpes, or Viagra, which addresses male reproductive issues?

The Post says there’s an even larger trend afoot:

The pharmacies are emerging at a time when a variety of health-care workers are refusing to perform medical procedures they find objectionable. Fertility doctors have refused to inseminate gay women. Ambulance drivers have refused to transport patients for abortions. Anesthesiologists have refused to assist in sterilizations.

I’m glad we live in a free country where people can live out their values — as long as by doing so they aren’t recklessly hurting others.

I’m also glad that people can order prescription medications privately online — so they don’t have to risk being confronted by a pharmacist who chooses to judge them, rather than to serve them.

There are differences among the three medications, but they are relatively minor. Viagra came on the scene first, so it’s helped more people and has a longer track record. Levitra begins working the fastest, and Cialis lasts the longest — up to 36 hours, compared to four for Viagra.

Often, a doctor might prescribe one of these three pills for you, and if you don’t respond, they will switch you to another. But what happens if Viagra, Cialis and Levitra all fail for you? Or what if you have one of the conditions that don’t allow you to take ED pills — such as heart problems, high blood pressure or diabetes?

There’s actually an effective alternative that relatively few people know about — because it’s been scarcely advertised. It’s called alprostadil, which can be sold as Caverject, Edex or Muse. Alprostadil is a synthetic version of prostaglandin E, a hormone. Like the better-known pills, it relaxes muscle tissue in the penis to enhance blood flow. It even works faster than the pills — in as little as five minutes.

The downside to alprostadil, relative to the oral treatments, is how it’s administered: by needle or suppository. The needle-injection therapies, Caverject or Edex, are generally preferable, because it is a very fine needle and there is little or no pain. It’s also easy to administer yourself.

The suppository treatment (Muse) requires inserting a dosage of alprostadil, about half the size of a grain of rice, into the tip of your penis. Administering Muse can be a little painful.

If you’ve been getting your ED information only from watching TV commercials, we hope we’ve shed light on some options you might not have known about. One of the things I’ve feared, with all the attention devoted to Viagra and Cialis, is that men with ED will downplay their histories of heart disease or other risk factors in order to get their doctor to write a prescription for them. I’m sure this has happened thousands of times, unfortunately.

Now you know you don’t have to take that kind of risk. Ask your doctor about alprostadil as an alternative to the Little Blue Pill.

• Zoloft
• Viagra
• Cialis
• Mirapex (restless leg syndrome)
• Lipitor
• Valtrex

If you’re the kind of person who enjoys watching people embarrass themselves trying (and failing) to be funny, this video’s for you.

1. Viagra
2. Vytorin
3. Provigil
4. Cialis
5. Synvisc
6. Fosamax
7. Finasteride
8. Amoxicillin
9. Lotrel
10. Wellbutrin
11. Lipitor
12. Lyrica
13. Naproxen
14. Singulair
15. Loestrin
16. Valtrex
17. Yasmin
18. Ibuprofen
19. Quetiapine
20. Allegra-D
21. Lamisil
22. Alendronate
23. Plavix
24. Bactrim
25. Nardil