CALIFORNIA
Study finds Viagra can benefit women
Updated: 07/23/08 6:49 AM
LOS ANGELES — In a small study of 98 women published today, Viagra helped women whose sexual interest had flagged as a side effect of taking antidepressants — a very specific finding that could open a new use for the male impotence drug.
The report in the Journal of the American Medical Association is one of the few to find some benefit for women despite nearly a decade of searching by Pfizer Inc., Viagra’s maker. More than 6 million women in the United States suffer from major depression. Antidepressants are the most common treatment for the mood disorder, and while they can be a blessing, they often bring on debilitating sexual side effects.
Doctors said the study, which was funded with a grant from Pfizer, could foster broader experimentation with Viagra for women, although they added it was unlikely it would become the blockbuster phenomena it is among men. Its effectiveness in women is limited compared with men, and Pfizer has said it has no intention of developing the drug for female disorders. — The Los Angeles Times
