Pfizer files suit to protect Viagra patent

The 1 June 2011 saw Pfizer file suit against Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in an attempt to prevent Watson commercializing its generic Viagra drug. This legal action could well be the first of many for Pfizer as its patents on Viagra expire between 2011-2013.

It is expected that generic drug manufacturers will make legal moves to end the Viagra patent before its deadline is up. Companies could either sue Pfizer claiming its patent is invalid or file with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to launch generics ahead of the deadline. Watson Pharmaceuticals have done the latter, seeking approval to market Sildenefil Citrate Tablets, a generic version of Pfizer’s Viagra.

It is understandable why generic manufacturers may attempt to knock even a few months off the patent. Viagra had a total U.S. sales of just over $1 billion for the twelve months ending April 2011. Even one month’s sales are worth $83 million. Equally so, it is understandable why Pfizer will be willing spend millions of dollars in legal fees to protect the patent.

In the long run, the expiration of Pfizer’s monopoly on Viagra will be good news for consumers, as it will result in competition between Pfizer’s Viagra and new generic versions, driving down the price of erectile dysfunction medication.

Former Socceroos star in custody over gun charges

Fallen former Socceroos star, Ahmad Elrich, today finds himself in custody and will face a Sydney court in June over 11 gun offenses. Elrich was pulled over by police due to a faulty tail light on his Harley Davidson motorbike. Police allege that they found two loaded pistols and reusable plastic bags during a search. In addition, a quantity of the erectile dysfunction Cialis was discovered for which police claim he did not have a prescription.

The 29-year-old footballer appeared in court with his father and was refused bail due to the seriousness of the charges and the concern he represented a flight risk. Elrich was once considered one of the the most exciting players in Australian soccer. As a right back or attacking winger he was one of the leading assist getters in Australia’s National Soccer League in the 2003-04 season. At this time he represented Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics, gaining the first of his 17 caps.

Following a brief stint in Korea, Elrich signed for Premier League club Fulham. However, he never cemented a place in the first team and a serious knee injury sustained when playing for the national side in September 2006 eventually saw him released. Despite spells in Norway and back in the Australia A-League, Elrich has continued to struggle with form and knee injuries and has been without a club for over a year.

Chilli’s to treat Shingles infections?

If you have ever suffered from shingles you will know what an excruciating burning sensation the viral infection can cause. About twenty five thousand people in the UK get shingles every year. Now, a strange cure in America has been approved by the FDA with its active ingredient coming from chilli peppers called Qutenza patch.

According to Dr. Matt McCarty at the Balcones Pain Consultants USA “This is toxic, if you were to breathe it in or get it on your eyes it would be devastating in terms of burning, so a lot of caution has to be used.”

However in the UK we have a much less dangerous drug called Valtrex with its active ingredient Valacyclovir similar to what is in Zorivax cream for cold sores


Most shingles sufferers have had chicken pox years before. The virus remained dormant in the spine, until one day it invades the body, enflaming neurons or nerve endings under the skin.

Shingles rash starts as small blisters on a red base, with new blisters continuing to form for three to five days. The areas that are typically affected are the head, abdomen, neck, face and arm or leg. In rare cases, areas of the face like the nose and eyes may also be affected. Shingles can be spread from an affected person to babies, children, or adults who have not had chickenpox. Instead of developing shingles, these people develop chickenpox.

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney confirms hair transplant

Follically challenged football superstar Wayne Rooney has joined the growing list of celebrities to undergo a hair transplant operation. After being mercilessly ribbed by his team mates for his Hair loss, he took to Twitter over the weekend to reveal the news. “’Just to confirm to all my followers I have had a hair transplant. I was going bald at 25 why not. I’m delighted with the result”.



Other celebrities to have undergone a hair transplant include actor James Nesbitt, Chef Gordon Ramsey, and Dancing On Ice judge Jason Gardiner.  Rooney later revealed more to his 740,000 Twitter followers, commenting “It’s still a bit bruised and swollen when it dies down u will be first to see it. Anyone recommend any good hair gel. Haha” and “’I had it done in Harley street hair clinic London. Thanks to all the staff who looked after me.”

Not only is the procedure a painful process, as evident in Rooney’s post on the social networking site, but it is a very expensive one too. Dr Maurice Collins, of the Hair Restoration Blackrock clinic outside of Dublin, is the surgeon who performed the two operations on actor James Nesbitt.  Dr Collins charges a staggering £7.60 for each hair follicle he transplants. Therefore the procedure would cost a minimum £7,000 as the average patient would probably require between 1,000 and 4,500 follicles to be transplanted. It is rumoured that fiery Chef Gordon Ramsey, paid £30,000 for his treatment at the Alvi Armani Centre in Beverly Hills.

Dr Collins explains the process – “The hair at the back of your head is immune to the balding process, there’s always a “horseshoe”. We take little strips of skin from there, meticulously dissect each hair follicle and transplant them one by one, using microscopes. I’m pleased to say 98 per cent of the transplanted hairs go on to thrive”

Basically, a patient does not get any “extra hair”. The hair gets transported from an area it won’t be missed to an area that requires it. Usually there are a team of approximately 18 people working on a transplant, which can take roughly eight hours to perform. The technicians, nurses and surgeon need to ensure the hair is kept alive when it is deprived of oxygen outside the body, and it is vital the hair is back inside the patient’s head as quickly as possible.
Professor Andrew Messenger, a consultant dermatologist at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield and president of the Institute Of Trichologists, clearly backs the procedure – “With a good surgeon, transplants work very well,’ he says. So long as the patient ‘has got good hair density at the back of the scalp — and quite a lot of money’.

Men fined over sale of fake Viagra online

The former landlord of Hayes’ Tiger Lounge has been fined £10,000 for selling illegal medicine for erectile dysfunction online.

Saranjit Bhambra, 27, ran the ‘keepithard.co.uk’ website which has now been taken offline, selling illegal fake versions of Viagra such as Kamagra and Tadil, The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) launched the investigation known as Operation Rome following a test purchase. This lead to a search at a mechanics, and officers found evidence connecting to an illegal online website.

Bhambra, of Woodrow Avenue, Hayes, appeared at Southwark Crown Court last Thursday (May 26) for sentence, after admitting to the offence at an April hearing. At that hearing, identical charges against his father Narinder were dropped, and the judge warned that he could face jail time.

Mick Deats, MHRA Head of Enforcement, said: “While websites such as these may look professional, what we see behind the scenes tells a very different story. These unlicensed medicines were being sold from a mechanic’s garage which means they risk additional contamination due to the unsanitary conditions in which they were stored. “The unlawful sale of medicines, including those to treat ED, poses a serious threat to public health and today’s sentence reflects the nature and gravity of this crime.”

Bhambra was recently removed as landlord of the Tiger Lounge, in Dawley Road, after its licence was temporarily suspended for health and safety breaches.

Is Viagra a cure for Multiple Sclerosis?

A research team at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona in Spain have produced compelling evidence that Sildenafil, the ingrediant in the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, could be used to reduce the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

The findings of their study have been published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica. They demonstrate, in an animal model of multiple sclerosis, that daily treatment with sildenafil quickly reduces the symptons of the disease, with a near complete recovery in 50% of the cases after eight days of treatment.

MS is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring.

Symptoms include changes in sensation, muscle weakness, abnormal muscle spasms, difficulties with moving, coordination and balance, and problems in speech, swallowing and vision. The symptoms often appear in episodic acute periods of worsening, known as relapses, or in a gradually progressive deterioration of neurologic function.

MS is one of the main causes of disability in young adults, and while there is currently no cure, some medicines and treatments attempt to return function after attacks or prevent attacks.
In their study, the researchers observed that the medication reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the white matter of the spinal cord, lessening damage to the nerve cell’s axon and facilitating myelin repair.

The researchers are confident that clinical trials with human patients will be soon carried out, given that the drug is widely tolerated and has already been used for treatment of erectile dysfunction in MS sufferers.

Are Diet Pills An Easy Option?

Statistics recently issued show a significant increase in overweight men and women resorting to diet pills, in a bid to lose their excess weight.

Due to obesity rising from 7% of adults in 1980 to 23% in 2009 doctors are issuing up to 15 million prescriptions a year for diet drugs.

After findings of various side effects caused by the different drugs that were available many have now been withdrawn from the market, leaving Xenical as the only anti-obesity drug that is available on prescription.
It is feared that doctors are issuing the drugs as a quick fix instead of focusing on healthy eating and exercise, this is strongly argued by doctors that issuing an anti-obesity drug is a last resort to overweight adults when a change of diet and lifestyle has failed.

Usage of Xenical does allow the taker to lose weight at a greater rate than simply through exercise and healthy living, however, it is important to stress that to have a positive impact on weight loss patients must adopt healthier eating habits and undertake exercise. This should lead to long term weight loss and also help to reduce some of the possible side effects such as bowel movement problems.