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PRESCRIPTION FOR DEBATE
Will Viagra change the way Americans view sexual health? May 15, 1998 |
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Questions asked
in this forum:
What liabilities do doctors face if Viagra causes long-term side effects? Can Viagra help a low libido? How successful would a blue "sugar pill" be? Can Viagra be habit forming? Are insurance companies guilty of a double standard?
NewsHour Backgrounders
May 7, 1998
A discussion on the new drug Viagra.
May 5, 1998
HMOs are sued for failing to cover treatment originally in their insurance policy.
December 23, 1997
Is there a cure for baldness in a bottle?
September 15, 1997
Two diet drugs are taken off the market.
March 25, 1997:
How are middle aged people making the most of their golden years?
Browse the NewsHour's coverage of health.
Outside Links
A report on Viagra from its developer, Pfizer Inc.
The homepage for the American Urological Association.
The homepage for International Impotence Education Month.
It was love at first sight.
From the day it hit the markets, America has been smitten with the little blue pill named Viagra. The late night talk shows are laughing, Wall Street stocks are soaring and millions of men are hoping to add a new vigor to their sex lives.
The nation has overwhelmingly responded to the new drug that could help the 30 million American men who suffer from impotence. Just like the birth control pill of the 1960s, Viagra has sparked a national discussion on a typically taboo subject: sexuality. The drug has also stirred a second discussion: should health insurance companies pay for a pill that promises to change lifestyles as much as provide medical relief?
Already thousands have tried Viagra, which helps men achieve and maintain an erection. Since the FDA approved it in late March, demand has skyrocketed. Pfizer Incorporated, which developed the drug, reported that doctors write over 20,000 new prescriptions a day. Most new drugs typically generate only one to three thousand new prescriptions a week.
This means that sales of the $10 pill will likely top five billion dollars in the next year.
"There is a problem with this enormous market for people who are looking for sexual enhancement, rather than people with impotence," said Paul Wolpe, a bioethicist from the University of Pennsylvania and recent guest on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. "We are medicalizing a lot of social behaviors and then using pharmacological solutions for them."
Because of this, insurance companies and HMOs are taking a cautious approach to the new drug. "Consumers want affordable health care coverage," said Chip Kahn, chief operating officer for the Health Insurance Association of America. "A drug like this has a potential for abuse and a potential for overuse and a potential for leading to significant increases in premiums for consumers."
But others argue that sexual issues are not so simple. "Sexuality is a very critical part of our lives and our lifestyle and our overall physical health," said Dr. Eileen Palace, a clinical psychologist at Tulane University.
What important issues of sexuality has Viagra raised? Do you think sexuality is an important part of overall health? Would you want to see your health care coverage include Viagra? Is it time for insurance companies to expand their coverage to include more treatments related to sexual health, like birth control?
We're opening up the NewsHour's recent Viagra discussion to you. Dr. Ira Sharlip, a professor of Urology at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine will join Paul Wolpe, Eileen Palace and Chip Kahn to respond to your views. Send in your questions by Thursday May 14, at 9:00 p.m. E.S.T. We'll have their responses online the following day.
What liabilities do doctors face if Viagra causes long-term side effects? Can Viagra help a low libido? How successful would a blue "sugar pill" be? Can Viagra be habit forming? Are insurance companies guilty of a double standard?
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