Prostate drug available without prescription in UK

A news drug to treat the urinary symptoms of prostate enlargement, previously available as a p.o.m, is to be sold over the counter in UK pharmacies to men aged 45 to 75 years from Wednesday.

The move is the latest example of Britain taking a lead in switching medicines off prescription in a drive to promote self care.

Flomax Relief, or tamsulosin hydrochloride, for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), will cost 16.99 pounds ($25.54) for a pack of 28 capsules lasting four weeks, maker Boehringer Ingelheim of Germany said.

It is the first time the medicine has been made available without prescription anywhere in the world.

The launch also represents a first in bringing a product for men's health into the over-the-counter (OTC) arena, although Pfizer (PFE.N) has been exploring a non-prescription version of its popular erectile dysfunction drug Viagra.

The U.S. drugmaker piloted the sale of Viagra in selected pharmacies in the north of England in 2007, but was knocked back in 2008 in its attempt to get European approval for Viagra without prescription. Pfizer said at the time it still believed the drug met the guidelines for OTC status.

Easter romance & Viagra

As Easter weekend is nearly upon us flocks of people are gearing up for a long romantic weekend away with their partners. City breaks like Paris are usually the
most popular, this time of year with lots of sightseeing & romantic places to visit.

Places to visit to spice up your weekend, Moulin Rouge is always a good start Toulouse-Lautrec posters, glittery lampposts and fake trees lend tacky charm to the Moulin Rouge, while 60 Doriss dancers cavort with faultless synchronisation. Costumes are flamboyant and the entr’acte acts funny.

Also the Latin Quarter is an excellent place to visit for cheap music, food & drink. But with all this romance in the air you may need something to help you for your trip.

Taking Viagra abroad poses no problems at all as long as they are the genuine article
And your name is on the prescription label. Buying Viagra online could not be easier
through www.medical-specialists.co.uk website and with tablets from as little as £37.00 for a box of four, we are the cheapest leading legal erectile dysfunction clinic on the web.

Thieves steal 2,000-euros worth of Viagra in Malaga

Thieves broke into a pharmacy in Malaga Spain and stole 2,000 euros worth of Viagra and other similar products, as well as 2,500 euros in cash. They entered the pharmacy through the air conditioning unit and through the false ceiling. The pills will probably be sold individually on-line or at brothels, and have a greatly increased value on the black market.

Lately, the number of armed robberies at pharmacies in Malaga has dropped, but the number of break-ins such as this one targeting products for erectile dysfunction treatment has risen.

Funny Viagra advert

Feds Bust Huge Counterfeit Shoe/Viagra Smuggling Ring

Fulton Mall shelves may be bare this summer since in Baltimore feds have seized 120,000 pairs of fake Nikes, along with counterfeit Coach and Gucci-brand stuff, Cartier watches and Viagra (erectile dysfunction pills) bound for Brooklyn. For smuggling and money laundering they've charged three U.S. citizens along with four partners from China and two from Malaysia, where the goods were manufactured. The AP says that, to avoid paying import duties, the smuggling ring had merchandise delivered to New York and New Jersey, transacting in cash and wiring money to Asia. Officials also seized fake Ugg, Adidas, Versace and Ralph Lauren items. Undercover officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who've been working on the case since 2008, infiltrated the operation and made their arrests last week.

Mum had baby after doctor gave her viagra

THRILLED Kerry Horan is a mum at last after medics broke new ground by treating her infertility - with VIAGRA (the erectile dysfunction pill).

Specialists prescribed the male sex pill after heartbroken Kerry, 34, had a miscarriage and three rounds of IVF failed.

Kerry is believed to be the first success with the method after having 6lb 11oz Grace in December.

The mum and hubby David, 33, started trying for a family after they wed in 2002. She fell pregnant in 2005, but miscarried at 12 weeks.

It showed blood flow to her womb was poor, meaning the lining was too thin for an embryo to implant successfully.

Director Dr George Ndukwe recommended Viagra - a blood flow booster. He said: "It can improve the lining, but can be dangerous and must be taken under supervision."

Kerry said: "I was shocked when they mentioned it, but willing to try anything. Minutes after taking it my body went pink and my face bright red.
"I took Viagra for nine days and it wasn't a pleasant experience."

A scan showed Kerry's womb wall had thickened enough for doctors to implant IVF embryos. Kerry fell pregnant two weeks later.

Teacher Kerry, of Huddersfield, West Yorks, said: "When we saw the baby's heartbeat on a scan we couldn't stop crying. When I finally held Grace it was the most emotional experience. Thanks to Viagra I'm a mother at last!"

Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/health/health/2902992/Mum-had-a-baby-after-doctor-gave-her-Viagra.html#ixzz0izOxCUhV

Infertility linked to prostate cancer

Infertile men may have an increased risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer, researchers reported on Monday in what could be an important move toward identifying those who will benefit from screening for the disease.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men, affecting about 160 per 100,000 every year and killing 26. While doctors can screen for it, many prefer not to do so because most tumours grow slowly and never cause any harm.
The researchers tracked more than 22,000 Californian men who had been evaluated for infertility between 1967 and 1998.

Over the decade following the evaluation, 1.2 percent of the infertile men developed prostate cancer, compared to only 0.4 percent of the fertile men. Both of those figures are higher than would be expected in the general population, possibly because these men are more likely to visit health-care professionals and get diagnosed.

After accounting for age, infertility increased the chances of being diagnosed with aggressive tumours 2.6 times. For slow-growing cancers, the risk climbed 1.6 times, the authors report in the journal Cancer.

"The absolute risk of men developing prostate cancer is still very small," said Dr. Thomas Walsh of the University of Washington, who led the research. "What is surprising is that we see this high rate of high-grade prostate cancer."
He said the specific effect on aggressive tumours was important for two reasons. First, it means the increased risk is not just a result of infertile men being screened more often because of their visits to the urologist. Had that been the case, researchers would expect to see the same increase in slow-growing cancers.
Second, infertility might point to more lethal cancers, singling out men who should give an extra thought to screening.

It is not yet clear what could account for the link between infertility and prostate cancer. But researchers speculate that damages to the male sex chromosome -- for instance through exposure to environmental toxins in the womb -- may be involved.
Other risk factors for prostate cancer include older age, being African American, family history and obesity.

The American Urological Association - of which Walsh is a member -- recommends screening for men aged 40 or older. However, Walsh said he did not believe that all young men with fertility problems should be screened.
Still, he said that if the findings are confirmed, doctors might consider lowering the screening threshold when seeing infertile patients.

Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, agreed. The Cancer Society recommends that doctors discuss the pros and cons of screening with patients at age 50.

"A man who has infertility problems should take (the new findings) into consideration when thinking about prostate cancer screening," Brawley, who was not involved in the study, told Reuters Health.

The treatments for prostate cancer -- surgery or radiation -- may lead to incontinence and erectile dysfunction in about a third of patients.
"We treat a lot of prostate cancers that don't need to be treated," said Brawley. "We desperately need studies that will point to markers of aggressiveness."

Held over homemade 'remedies'

An elderly man was detained by Health Ministry officers recently for making and selling unregistered medicine and pills made from a homemade recipe which included steroids. The man, in his 60s, is believed to have made a good living from the illegal business.

Last week, enforcement officers raided the man's house in Sungai Petani, Kedah, after tests carried out on the medicine and pills sold by him were found to contain steroids and sildenafil, which is popularly known as Viagra.
"The traditional medicines sold by the suspect were produced with a homemade recipe using a cocktail of chemicals which also included steroids and sildenafil," a source said.

"The medicines were purported to help relieve joint pain and erectile dysfunction but they were actually dangerous for consumption."
The source said the house was the location where the man manufactured various types of traditional medicines. "Checks had been carried out a month earlier to detect the illegal factory where unregistered medicines were being manufactured," the source said.
It is understood that during the raid, the man was busy bottling the medicine. When questioned, he initially refused to admit he was producing the medicines.
"He claimed that it had been imported from China based on the labels on the bottles. But the officers later found raw materials which proved he was indeed manufacturing the medicines illegally."
Also found were fake Health Ministry hologram stickers which were pasted on boxes. It is learnt that the medicines were distributed nationwide. The source said the man admitted he had no medical background or expertise in producing traditional medicines.
"He had apparently used information from friends and the Internet before coming up with his homemade formula. Medicines and equipment with a face value of RM200,000 (S$84,423) were seized from the house."

Kevin Jonas And Wife in Spanish Viagra Advert

Just months after swapping his purity ring with a wedding ring, Kevin Jonas is appearing on the ad of a erectile dysfunction product, and he's not happy about it. The oldest of the Jonas Brothers and his wife Danielle are unwittingly being used to front a Spanish libido enhancer.

The 22-year-old singer and his new bride unsuspectingly became sexual enhancer pill models when a picture of them kissing adorned a Spanish-language ad for Libidus.

The ad translates to: "100 percent herbal aphrodisiacs. If you have problems with your sexual life or you want to experiment? Stimulate your energy."

But a rep for the band denies Kevin's willing participation for the company.

The spokesperson was quoted by oceanup.com as saying, "This ad is not authorized. It is either a fake or an illegal use of our image. We are currently investigating this matter and have referred it to our lawyers for appropriate legal action."

Rooftop raiders steal $76m of Lilly products

Thieves have made off with $75 million-worth of central nervous system, cardiovascular and cancer drugs from an Eli Lilly distribution facility in the US in a highly-organised heist which is thought to be the biggest ever affecting the pharmaceutical industry.

The highly-organised raiders gained access to Lilly's distribution facility in Enfield, Connecticut on March 14, disabling phone lines, cutting a hole in the roof and abseiling down into the building's telecommunications centre.

Once inside, the thieves were able to shut down alarm and access control systems and help themselves to 70 pallets of assorted Lilly products.

The haul included cases of the antidepressants Prozac (fluoxetine) and Cymbalta (duloxetine), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder treatment Strattera (atomoxetine), antipsychotic Zyprexa (olanzapine), cancer drugs Gemzar (gemcitabine) and Alimta (pemetrexed), and the cardiovascular treatment Efient (prasugrel).

The Enfield facility is Lilly's main distribution hub for the east coast region of the USA.

Lilly (makers of the erectile dysfunction drug Cialis) said it was working with the US Food and Drug Administration and law enforcement officials to try to recover the products, noting: "The US pharmaceutical distribution system is tightly controlled and monitored, making it extremely difficult for stolen product to make it to patients through legitimate channels."

The company has stopped distributing product with the affected lot numbers and is advising all those handling medicines in the supply chain to check products for tampering or damage prior to purchase and/or use.

Charles Forsaith of the Pharmaceutical Cargo Security Coalition, an industry group dedicated to combating theft of pharmaceutical products, said the perpetrators were likely "a highly-organised group who had conducted lengthy surveillance related activities on that particular site".

With pharmaceutical cargo theft on the increase in the US, he recommends that companies review their security procedures at all locations, "particularly ones that are not manned 24/7", with particular attention to "premise alarms, cellular back-up capability and the security of telecommunications systems".

The latest heist bears all the hallmarks of being carried out by the same group which raided a GlaxoSmithKline facility in Richmond, Virginia, last year, making off with $5 million-worth of Advair (fluticasone propionate and salmeterol) asthma inhalers. In that raid too the thieves gained entry to the building through the roof.

Turns out you do need Viagra like a heart attack

if you’re having trouble with sex, you may have a problem Viagra won’t fix.

A study published this week in Circulation delivered the bad news.

Researchers at the Medical University of the Saarland in Germany looked at people in two hypertension drug studies who also had erectile dysfunction (ED).

Those who had ED were most likely to die of a heart attack, stroke or other heart problem — they called it a “potent predictor of all-cause death.”

In other words if you have ED, you may have advanced heart disease. You are twice as likely to die of it as someone without ED.

The two studies examined were TRANSCEND, which was testing an angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB) on people who had trouble with angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and ONTARGET, which tested the two drugs in combination.

Full disclosure. I presently take a daily pill which combines an ARB with a Calcium Channel Blocker (CCB), called EXFORGE, which works well on my hypertension. (I also take a generic statin.) I don’t have ED.

The main recommendation from all this is that doctors should ask about ED when they’re doing a work-up on heart disease. So you don’t have to ask your doctor about ED anymore. They should ask you.

And if you answer yes, your doctor may start looking for other risk factors and treating you as a heart patient, not just as someone looking to have a good time.

One word of warning. The two studies the German doctors looked at were of patients who already had heart disease, which is why they were seeking ARBs and ACE inhibitors in the first place. If you’re young and healthy and your ED problem isn’t a regular thing, the solution may lie elsewhere. Like your head.

Stigma hits hopes for female Viagra

Society and cultural barriers will continue to prevent women from recognising that they may suffer from female sexual dysfunction and seeking help, according to a new report.

Furthermore, the analysis, published by Datamonitor, notes that the non life-threatening nature of the disorders means that FSD “is often disregarded by the medical community”. FSD is an umbrella term that covers a variety of different dproblems from hypoactive sexual desire disorder (or low libido) and sexual arousal disorder to painful intercourse. Also there is often an overlap between disorders that can affect diagnosis and treatment.

Maya Marescotti, women’s health analyst at Datamonitor, says there is “a stigma associated with talking about sex, cultural embarrassment, and avoidance of discussion of sexual dysfunction in the clinical environment”. She adds that “these are common barriers that prevent doctors and patients from talking about sex”.

In a recent US study of 198 healthcare providers, only 34% of physicians would discuss sexual health with their patients on their own initiative. An earlier study across the pond showed that 75% of women would rather not discuss the subject as they thought the doctor would not be interested.

There is only one FSD drug available in the UK, where over 10 million women are thought to suffer from sexual dysfunction in their lifetime. That is Procter & Gamble’s Intrinsa, a testosterone skin patch which is given to women who have had their uterus and/or ovaries removed. New therapies are on the way, however, some of which target the psychological aspect of FSD, including Boehringer Ingelheim’s flibanserin, an oral pill originally developed as an antidepressant.

However, Ms Marescotti notes that “those hoping for a ‘female Viagra’ will be disappointed. In contrast to erectile dysfunction, she adds that “the complicated nature of FSD means that a quick fix in the form of an effective pill is very hard to achieve”

Viagra scam on the rise

Numerous UK universities have been unknowingly helping criminals to sell fake Viagra over the internet.


A security firm has discovered that an increasing number of organisations using the .ac.uk domain are unknowingly pushing customers to websites offering fake erectile dysfunction pills.

Amichai Shulman, of the security company Imperva, which was responsible for uncovering the scam, emphasised how the criminals exploited software to piggyback on the computing resources of various colleges and universities. He also noted how the spammers exploited vulnerabilities in widely used technology called PHP.
The injected PHP codes included search terms such as Viagra and Cialis. Therefore, when a person searched for drugs such as these online, the universities and colleges’ web addresses would pop up in the top results. Anyone who clicked on these links would then be re-directed to a fake pharmacy selling counterfeit pills.

According to a BBC report, Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication in Kent was one school whose website became victim to the scam.
A spokesperson for the college said, “We immediately took action to temporarily close down and remove the compromised area while we resolved the issue.

Mr. Shulman of Imperva said that the rate such sites were being put up and taken down made it hard to get an exact figure of how many sites had been hit. However, he estimated that “thousands” of sites had been caught out by the drug spammers.

How Viagra can make your partner look like Avatars Neytiri

Blue is the colour ... Neytiri in hit movie Avatar

Blue vision: This side-effect of the erectile dysfunction pill "Viagra" could make everyone look like an extra from flick Avatar. It affects about three per cent of men on lower doses and about one in ten on the top whack.
The Viagra can affect your retina - the light-sensitive back of your eye. But it only lasts an hour or so and doesn't seem to cause any long-term harm.

Warning sounded on herbal erectile dysfunction products

Some "herbal remedies" for erectile dysfunction that go by names such as Clyamax, Love Fuel and Sexual Surge could pose a big risk to your health, officials say.

Health Canada is issuing warnings and warning Canadians not to use a number of products that claim to help men who suffer from erectile dysfunction, saying possible side effects of taking the drugs include heart attacks, strokes, chest pain, high blood pressure, abnormal heart beat, headache, facial flushing, indigestion, dizziness, abnormal vision and hearing loss.

Two of the products, STRO Emperor Capsules and 2H and 2D, contain tadalafil, are touted as being traditional Chinese medicinal treatments, but they contain a prescription drug used to treat erectile dysfunction.

Health Canada issued the warning about STRO Emperor Capsules after the Irish Medicines Board warned consumers in Ireland not to buy the product. The Hong Kong Department of Health issued a similar warning about 2H and 2D. Health Canada also issued a warning about a number of dietary supplements used for sexual enhancement made by Atlas Operations Inc. of Pompano Beach, Fla., after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration discovered the supplements contain undeclared sulfoaildenafil, an unauthorized substance similar to sildenafil. Sildenafil is also a prescription drug used to treat erectile dysfunction.

The names of some of these products included: Amour for him, Clyamax, Depth Charge, Love Fuel, Red Hot Sex, Sexual Surge, Stamin It and Whatzup.

Bicycle riding and erectile dysfunction

Department of Urology, Institute of Men's Health, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.

For many years, reports in the literature have implicated bicycle riding as causing increased risk of erectile dysfunction (ED). Perineal compression during cycling has been associated with the development of sexual complications.

To review current literature on the rationale for ED from bicycle riding and outcome of bicycle riding on erectile function and to present available research on preventative measures specifically regarding bicycle riding.

A systematic comprehensive literature review. Results. There is a significant relationship between cycling-induced perineal compression leading to vascular, endothelial, and neurogenic dysfunction in men and the development of ED. Research on female bicyclists is very limited but indicates the same impairment as in male bicyclists. Preventative measures including use of a properly fitted bicycle, a riding style with a suitable seat position and an appropriate bicycle seat can help prevent impairment of erectile function.

There is a need for further research on safe bicycle and bicycle seat design and investigations that address the underlying mechanisms leading to cycling-related sexual dysfunction in both male and female bicyclists.