Viagra said to help sick children breathe breath

Viagra said to help sick children breathe breath

June 14, 2005

DALLAS – Children suffering from a rare and fatal lung disease were able to walk farther and breathe easier after taking the impotence pill Viagra, a small study suggests.

Researchers say use of the drug to treat these very sick children, suffering from pulmonary hypertension, needs more study. But they called these early results promising.

The study, published yesterday online in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, was funded by Pfizer, the maker of Viagra.

Dr. Ian Adatia, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco Children's Hospital, said one benefit of Viagra is it has fewer side effects than other treatments, and turning to Viagra isn't "that far of a leap." The drug works by relaxing the smooth muscle of blood vessels, increasing blood flow.

Associated Press


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Hee, hee.

But it's a good thing it's Viagra and not birth control pills that help sick kids breathe easier, because then some pinheaded pharmacist would refuse to fill the prescription.

will pay for Viagra used for this purpose. When a drug is used for a condition it was not FDA approved for, insurance companies sometimes refuse to pay for it, under the exclusion of 'experimental treatment' fine print.

They'll pay to help men get erections, let's see if they will pay to help kids breathe.

pays for Viagra for pulmonary hypertension.

Thanks. Let's hope everybody will see the benefit and not deny paying for it for this condition.

Due to its effect on blood vessels. The sexual dysfunction result was just a "happy side effect" discovered while testing the drug for other reasons.

Uh, sir, I was just trying to help him breath, sir.