jails giving Viagra to hardened criminals

London, Jan 24 (ANI): Lags freed from Belmarsh jail, south London, on home leave are being handed Viagra to make sure they perform between the sheets when they visit their loved ones.

A source at the prison said convicts serving long sentences could suffer a loss of libido when faced with the prospect of nookie after a long stint behind bars.

"On your first home leave, meeting up with the missus or girlfriend can be a bit daunting. If you have Viagra your pocket, at least you know you're going to be able to deliver," News of the World quoted a lag as saying.

However, news that the 5-pound-a-go little blue pills which boost men's sex drive are being freely dished out to serious hard men will enrage victims' families.

One prison insider said: "It's pretty rich. The system in England, Scotland and Wales is making Viagra available so prisoners can perform between the sheets when they visit their loved ones.

"Inmates nearing the end of their sentence or those held at open prisons are eligible for home release. It must be costing a fortune," the insider added.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman confirmed: "We issue Viagra after the prisoner has met with the jail's GP. A clinical decision based on the prisoner's health would be made."

Warning over counterfeit weight-loss capsules

Consumers are being advised about the dangers of buying medicines from unregulated websites.

27th January 2010 — The discovery of supplies of counterfeit alli, a weight-loss medication, has prompted a consumer warning from The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The fake capsules were found in the United States, but MHRA says people in the UK could be able to buy them on the internet.

alli is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and is available over the counter in the UK with the genuine product containing the active ingredient orlistat or commanly known as Xenical.

The Food and Drug Administration in the US has been working with GSK. Laboratory testing of the suspected counterfeit product, 60mg alli capsules (120 capsule refill kit), have revealed it contained sibutramine instead of orlistat.
Europe-wide medication alert

Last week the European Medicines Agency recommended that the licence for sibutramine should be suspended across Europe because evidence suggested it caused a higher risk of non-fatal heart attacks and strokes.

Mick Deats, Head of Enforcement at MHRA, has issued a warning about the dangers of buying medicines from unregulated internet pharmacies. “The trend of self-diagnosing and self-prescribing is potentially dangerous,” Mr Deats says in a statement on the Agency’s website.

He adds that “Buying weight loss medication from unregulated websites is a dangerous way to slim down. You don’t know what you’re taking and your condition is not being monitored by a healthcare professional. It’s just not worth taking that type of risk.”
Checking it’s the genuine article

The MHRA advises consumers to check that the website has a physical address that’s clearly displayed and the green cross logo of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

The Agency says counterfeit alli has some obvious differences from the genuine product:

* The fake product has no Lot code on the end flap of the outer packaging.
* The fake medication has a plain foil inner safety seal under the plastic cap, without any printed words – the authentic product seal is marked “sealed for your protection”.
* The counterfeit capsules contain white powder instead of small white pellets.

Furthermore, in the UK the genuine capsules are not available in packs of 120; they’re only available in smaller packs of 42 or 84.
Buy from registered pharmacies: Manufacturer

Emma Boran, a spokeswoman for GSK, sent us a statement saying: “GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare in the US has identified a small quantity of fake weight loss product, falsely packaged and labelled as alli sold on US online auction websites, such as eBay.com.

“GlaxoSmithKline fully supports the MHRA warning concerning purchasing medicines from unregistered websites. All retail pharmacies in Great Britain, including those providing internet services, must be registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

“Consumer should only buy alli online from safe and trusted registered pharmacy websites such as those of high street retailers. GSK does not condone illegal sales of alli from websites not authorised to make such sales and recommends that users check the authenticity of the online pharmacy they are looking to purchase alli from.”
The MHRA says anyone with concerns should ask their pharmacist or their GP for advice. Consumers can report any suspected counterfeit alli to the 24-hour MHRA Counterfeit Hotline on 020 7084 2701 or email counterfeit@mhra.gsi.gov.uk.

Reductil Banned as risks outweigh benefits

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has completed a review of the obesity medicine sibutramine (Reductil) on the basis of new safety information from a large clinical trial, the Sibutramine Cardiovascular OUTcomes (SCOUT) study. The review has found that the cardiovascular risks of sibutramine outweigh its benefits. The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended suspension of the marketing authorisation for this medicine across the European Union.

Further information is available on the EMA website.

Pharmacists are now unable to dispense Reductil and Doctors are also unable to write prescriptions for the obesity medication.

If you are looking for some help with losing some weight after the New Year Xenical is still the best option as Xenical is a lipase inhibitor and does not enter the patient's blood stream, but works in the digestive system in the small intestine as a fat absorber. It blocks out a third of the fat in food eaten in a patient's diet, leading to steady weight loss. Buy Xenical online at www.medical-specialists.co.uk

Viagra's discovery

Viagra's discovery


Even the fastest selling drug of all time, Viagra, is not used for what it was originally intended.
It started life as plain old UK92480, a new treatment for angina, a heart condition that constricts the vessels that supply the heart with blood.
The drug company Pfizer was looking for something that would relax these blood vessels, however its trials in people were disappointing

Pfizer were about to abandon further trials when the trial volunteers started coming back and reporting an unusual side effect - lots of erections.
Pfizer senior scientist Chris Wayman was charged with investigating what was happening. He created a model 'man' in the lab.
He took a set of test-tubes filled with an inert solution, and in each one placed a piece of penile tissue, taken from an impotent man.
Each piece of tissue was then connected up to a box that, at the flick of a switch, would send a pulse of electricity through the tissue.
Applying this current of electricity mimics what happens when a man is aroused.
The first time he did this nothing happened to the vessels. However, when he added Viagra to the tissue bath the penile blood vessels suddenly relaxed - as they would for a man to give him an erection.
He said: "What was amazing about this study was that we saw a restoration of the erectile response. Now we were on to something which could only be described as special".
Before the launch of Viagra in 1998 there was no oral treatment for erectile dysfunction, the only options were an injection or a fairly gruesome prosthetic implant.
Now, thanks to a failed Angina treatment, men had another option. Viagra is now one of the most prescribed drugs in the world.

Horizon: Pill Poppers can be seen on BBC Two on Wednesday 20 January at 9pm or afterwards via BBC iPlayer

Council to impose 'No Fry Zone' around primary schools in drive against obesity

Lewisham Council is considering adopting the radical proposal of a 1,300ft 'No Fry Zone' around all of its 65 primary schools after it was revealed that one in four 10-year-old children are obese. If agreed by councillors later this month it would mean that no new fast food shops - such as fried chicken shops and burger bars - will be allowed to open within 400m of a school.
So if children want to visit a fast food shop at lunch time they will have to walk over a 800m to get there hands on a fattening lunch - hopefully burning some calories off on the way.
With a distance of just over half a mile, a brisk walk to the nearest takeaway and back to school would take at least 10 minutes.

Councillor Ute Michel, of the Green Party, said the proposal was being put forward to full council later this month. She said: 'Our children's health actually gets far worse rather than better during their time in school. 'Despite making progress in making school meals healthier and teaching about healthy diets, takeaways are fuelling junk food culture just outside the school gate undoing much of that good work.'

She said that council chiefs would also work with existing takeaways - who will not have to close under the proposals - to provide 'healthier options' on their menus.
Adele Greenway, who has two children aged six and nine, said there was still time for a child to walk to a takeaway at break time.

She said: 'It's all very well encouraging children not to eat greasy fried food, but with a lunch break of 50 minutes that gives them plenty of time to nip to the kebab shop for a burger and chips even if it's 10 minutes there and back.
'At least the kids will be getting some exercise and burning off the calories, but they'll still be eating lord knows how many calories.'

Takeaway shop worker Khalid Mohammed said the scheme wouldn't stop kids getting their hands on unhealthy food.
He said: 'Whether they put the no fry zone in place or not doesn't really matter.
'If someone wants chips and a burger or fried chicken they will walk the five minutes it takes to get there. 'All it is is a hassle for them - they'll still make the trip and they'll probably take orders from all their classmates too.'
Waltham Forest Council in East London pioneered the scheme last year after 93 per cent of locals backed the plan.

Obese passengers to be charged double to fly with Air France

Obese passengers who are unable to fit into a single plane seat are to be charged double to fly with Air France. Obese flyers will be asked to pay double, or not be allowed on board for 'safety reasons', the airline announced today.
Air France spokeswoman Monique Matze added: 'People who arrive at the check-in desk and are deemed too large to fit into a single seat will be asked to pay for and use a second seat. They will be charged 75 per cent of the cost of the second seat, which is the full price excluding tax and surcharges, on top of the full price for the first.
"The decision has been made for safety reasons. 'We have to make sure that the backrest can move freely up and down and that all passengers are securely fastened with a safety belt.'

The average economy class seat on most planes is between 43cm wide and 44cm wide, Ms Matze said. She added: 'People who cannot fit into a single seat will then be fastened by slotting the belt tip of one seat into the plug of the next, stretching over both seats. 'However the charge will only apply on flights that are full booked. They will get their money back on flights where spaces are available.'

The overweight charges come two years after Air France was ordered to pay £5,000 damages for 'humiliation' to a 27-stone passenger who had his stomach measured at an airport check-in desk. He was told to buy two seats.
Frenchman Jean-Jacques Jauffret, 43, was measured by Air France staff with other passengers looking on as he tried to board a flight from New Dehli to Paris.
Cinema screen-writer Mr Jauffret said at the time: 'The woman came out from behind the check-in desk with a tape measure and measured my waist in front of dozens of other people.
'Then she looked at me and said, 'People as fat as you need to buy two seats'. 'I asked her if there was a chance I could simply have an empty seat beside me, but she said the flight was almost full. 'It was highly embarrassing, and the law has now recognised the humiliation I suffered.'

British Airways has no weight limits for passengers, but advises overweight people to buy a second seat for their own comfort and safety if necessary.
In America, budget carrier Southwest Airlines caused outrage when it announced in 2006 that it would charge overweight people for two seats. Southwest said it was simply enforcing a long-standing unwritten policy of charging passengers who encroach on the space of those seated around them.
Air France's new charges will apply for people who book their tickets from February 1 for all flights from April 1, the airline said.

New erectile dysfunction drug called Avanafil will be much faster than Viagra, Cialis & Levitra

A Pharmaceutical company called Vivus is hoping to launch an erectile dysfunction drug called avanafil. Vivus issued a press release stating that there new drug Avanafil will be much faster than Viagra Cialis & Levitra.
Mr Leland Wilson, chief executive officer of VIVUS stated "Erectile dysfunction is a significant problem among more than half of all men over the age of 40. While sales of currently available ED therapies exceed $3.8 billion a year, persistent switching by patients suggests that patients are less than satisfied with current therapies," "These phase 3 avanafil data not only confirm the robust efficacy we've seen in earlier trials, but potentially differentiate avanafil from other PDE5 inhibitors when it comes to side effects and time-to-onset of efficacy. We are confident that avanafil can effectively compete in the oral ED therapy market."
Mr Charles Bowden, M.D., Senior Director, Clinical Development at VIVUS stated "From our discussions with patients and physicians, we knew that rapid onset was an important attribute in the selection of an ED therapy. A recent study in 1,900 patients with ED showed that 75% of patients identified rapid effect as an important treatment expectation. Knowing that avanafil can be effective within 15 minutes should create an attractive position in the PDE5 market,"
Existing erectile dysfunction medication tends to work after 30 minutes and therefore this would make Avanafil’s shorter effective medication of 15 minutes quite popular.
Medical Specialists News will be looking out for any updates regarding the new Avanafil erectile dysfunction medication.

An exclusive dating website for attractive people has booted out members for gaining weight over Christmas.

BeautifulPeople.com made more than 5,000 users re-apply after they posted pictures of themselves looking over weight after celebrating the festive season.

Existing members were asked to decide if they were still pretty enough to be part of the website.

Only a few hundred were allowed back in.

The site, which bans so-called "ugly people" and calls itself an "exclusively beautiful community", said it was responding to complaints from its customers.

Founder Robert Hintze said: "As a business, we mourn the loss of any member, but the fact remains that our members demand the high standard of beauty be upheld.

"Letting over weight people roam the site is a direct threat to our business model and the very concept for which BeautifulPeople.com was founded."

Managing director Greg Hodge said: "People can be big and beautiful but it doesn't suit everyone. If you join as a size six, or with ripped abs and a slim physique, you have to maintain this look or expect to be re-rated.

"Remember this is the opinion of our members, who have the final and completely democratic vote on who is let in or cast out of their community."

Most of the people who were kicked off the site were from the US, the UK and Canada.

Managers sent them emails encouraging them to reapply when they can lose weight.