Viagra, commonly used for treatment of erectile dysfunction or impotence can now be used in treating pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a lung disease. Pfizer, a leading pharmaceutical company, is marketing the drug under the brand name, Revatio, in the UK.
The drug approved for use in last November by the European based drug regulatory authority, contains the same active ingredients as the pill, Viagra. The drug is already being sold in Germany since January 2006. The world’s biggest drug manufacturer launched Revatio in the US, last August.Pulmonary arterial hypertension, as the name suggests is a disorder characterized by elevated blood pressure levels in the pulmonary artery that carries blood to the lungs. The blood vessel disorder is frequently seen in women between the age of 20 to 40 years. More than 100,000 people worldwide are believed to suffer from this disorder.
Following the launch of Revatio in Britain, Tracleer medicine, a leading product for the condition, manufactured by Switzerland based Actelion is facing a tough competition.
