Instastiffy

[Ian Murray]

http://www.newscientist.com/dailynews/news.jsp?id=ns9999824
Stiff competition
A fast-acting rival to the anti-impotence pill Viagra is approved for
sale in Europe


A fast-acting rival to the anti-impotence pill Viagra has been
approved for sale in Europe.

Uprima is the first alternative to Viagra to reach the marketplace,
says Laureen Cassidy of manufacturer Abbott Laboratories in Illinois,
US. The small tablets dissolve under the tongue and take about 20
minutes to have an effect.

Viagra, which is swallowed, takes up to an hour to work, and is
affected by how much food is in the stomach. "Uprima is so fast
because of the delivery form," says Cassidy. "It bypasses the
gastrointestinal tract and gets straight into the bloodstream."

Uprima also works in a different way to Viagra. This means that some
patients for whom Viagra doesn't work may benefit by taking Uprima.

Viagra works by inhibiting an enzyme called phosphodiesterase. This
relaxes the penis and allows increased blood flow, causing an
erection. Uprima stimulates dopamine receptors in the brain, mimicking
the signal normally sent from the brain to the penis during sexual
stimulation. This starts a chain of events in the body that leads to
an erection. According to Abbott Laboratories it is effective in about
90 per cent of cases.

Uprima will be available this week in the Netherlands, and in certain
other European countries later in June. The drug has not yet been
approved for sale in the US.

Correspondence about this story should be directed to
latestnews at newscientist.com

1200 GMT, 1 June 2001