As funny as it may sound, the super drug – Viagra – was made by mistake. In the 1990s, when researchers tried a new drug for angina, researchers were disappointed to find no cure for the disease. They asked the participants to return the remaining tablets. The women obeyed, but there was no mention of the men. When the insistent scientists asked for explanations, the men began to recount their experiences of the tablet’s great effects on their intimate parts of the body.
The sadness of failing with anti-angina drugs was quickly replaced by enthusiasm for a possible revolution in another field of medicine. Employees of the American medical company Pfizer went to Europe, where it was easier to get permission to involve people in experiments.
The first trials of the now-promising anti-impotence drug began in London, where men who were paid £ 5 an hour in a laboratory and received a tablet were seated in front of a television to watch pornographic films. After swallowing the tablet, their reaction began to be detected by sensors attached to the body. The blue pill worked great – men who had complained of impotence were themselves surprised by the pleasant makeovers.
25,000 VIAGRA PRESCRIPTIONS PER DAY AND SMUGGLING
Then came a failure – one-night videotapes with porn movies were stolen from the lab, but Pfizer quickly forgot about the incident, as the owners now had to think of something else – the world was crazy about new drugs, the company’s stock was growing and money was rolling.
Although the blue tablet, named Viagra, was officially only available in the United States and the Netherlands, the income from the outset gave it the title of the fastest-spread drug on the market. After appearing on sale in the United States, an average of 25,000 prescriptions were issued each day.
Pfizer initially hoped to earn $ 200 million, but the result was even more beautiful: when Viagra was accepted for sale abroad, the profit reached two billion dollars. Southern Europeans, who could not wait for the single European medical administration to authorize the sale of medicines, traveled by a miracle to Andorra, a country between France and Spain that did not obey European bureaucrats.
In contrast, in Israel, where the approval of imported medicines usually lasted four months, Viagra became one of the most sought-after black market products. According to an advertisement in the popular newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth that “no more injections are needed, 100% effective”, the telephone numbers provided by illegal traffickers were constantly busy.
HOW MUCH WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO PAY?
320 shekels (around 80 euros) were charged for the three tablets – almost three times more than the drug cost in the United States. At home, the average price per tablet in the United States was $ 10 (about $ 6). Each new pleasure required the next tablet. Experts predicted that men with impotence would have sex on average twice a week (with Viagra). So each year everyone will need about a hundred tablets and 1000 dollars.
The tablet had to be taken an hour before sex. It relaxes the muscles in the walls of blood vessels, allowing blood to flow more freely to the genitals. Experiments have shown that Viagra helps 80% of men, especially in cases of serious illness such as diabetes or, for example, men with spinal injuries. But there is one condition – the tablet does not work on its own. Lovers should not forget about foreplay and genital stimulation. Then Viagra will help maintain an erection.
Psychiatrist Dr. Rensava from Lajola told a case. She had come to her a few days after her husband had taken his first Viagra pill. “They were in bed waiting for what would happen. Both fell asleep. The couple had forgotten about the foreplay and were waiting for an immediate erection. ” When the doctor reminded me of the stimulation, I soon received a happy message from the clients that after a three-year break they had managed to have sex.
MILLIONS HAVE LONGED FOR SEX
It is estimated that around 30 million men in the United States suffer from impotence in the 1990s, but as many as 140 million people worldwide may be interested in Viagra at the time. Statistics at that time showed that in developed countries, every twentieth man after the age of 40 and one in four after the age of 65 are impotent.
The hysteria that arose after Viagra appeared on the market surprised medical professionals. Many men were known to be plagued by sexual intercourse, but no one had foreseen that there would be so many of them. In addition, a peculiar phenomenon was discovered – many men had concealed their problems, but after the appearance of the promising pill, they were no longer ashamed to discover their inability, because they knew that Viagra would help in the future.
Doctor John Stripping from a hospital in Atlanta had prepared a rubber stamp for himself, saying it was cheaper to replace it when it wore out. Every day he stamped about 300 prescriptions for Viagra. The patients were very impatient. “Visits are often announced as urgent. On the phone, men complain of pain in the kidneys, blood in the urine. But when they come to my office, they start teasing me about Viagra. Amazing! These people have been impotent for years, but now they can’t wait a few days, “says the doctor.
POLITICIANS WERE NO LONGER ASHAMED EITHER
In America, the media had been flooded with stories about the new miracle cure. “Chicago Earl McLean, 59, has been suffering from impotence for ten years due to diabetes. The first two tablets of Viagra did not help him. After the third time, he was able to have sex for the first time in four months. “I use them every day and I feel like I’m 30 again.” McLean’s medical insurance firm began claiming high spending. “Okay, I’ll put up with 20 pills a month,” Earl said, “Time magazine wrote in the year Viagra came out.
Even more passionate was the confession of former US presidential candidate Bob Doula (who was over 80) that he had also tried the super tablet. The politician and his wife Elizabeth did not go into detail, only admitted to the journalists with joy: “The tablet helps!”