Viagra 'good for Asian men'

Viagra 'good for Asian men'

HONG KONG (AP): Viagra's effectiveness in treating impotence crosses racial lines, with new tests proving that it works for Asian males, the drug's manufacturer has said.

Tests showed that 81 to 86 percent of Asian men suffering impotence reported an improvement after taking the drug for 12 weeks, Pfizer Corp. said in a statement Friday.

"The results are not surprising, considering the extensive clinical trials already conducted in the U.S. and from experience in other countries," Dr. Akmal Taher of the University of Indonesia was quoted as saying in the statement.

The tests were conducted in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

"Our results in Asia show the effectiveness of the drug across racial lines," Peter Chan Siu-foon, research leader of the Hong Kong tests, told the South China Morning Post.

He added that some of the men who took the drug in Hong Kong did report side effects, with 15 percent suffering from flushes and 13 percent complaining of headaches.

There are an estimated 200,000 men in Hong Kong who suffer from impotence, the paper reported. Viagra is still banned in the territory.

Despite an abundance of traditional remedies, black markets for Viagra have sprung up across Asia, where the drug is barred or awaiting approval in several countries.

The European Union on Tuesday authorized sales of Viagra, and Pfizer said it would be widely available there by mid-October.