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Working Overtime

February 28, 2007

First off, a hearty congratulations to all the big winners on Oscar night, including Martin Scorcese, who took home hardware for Best Director and Best Picture for his film “The Departed,” the poignant retelling of last week’s Accenture Match Play Championships in which approximately none of the players NBC was counting on to spike ratings remained alive by the time Saturday’s quarterfinals rolled around. Further ruffling Peacock feathers — at least in terms of generating interest among American golf fans — Sunday’s finals proved to be a foreign picture, with Sweden’s Henrik Stenson outlasting Aussie Geoff Ogilvy.
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The category I was most interested in was Documentary Shorts, which sounds like an article of clothing that may’ve done the trick for Jody “Babydol” Gibson as she was living out the events of her life which would eventually comprise her expos?, “Secrets of a Hollywood SuperMadam,” which hits newsstands this week. Actually, the Documentary Short I was most into was the LPGA’s 54-hole Fields Open in Hawaii, which I anchored for GOLF Channel and which, fittingly, was played in Hawaii and which was won by Stacy Prammanasudh.

If there’s one question I’m asked more than any other when people find out what I do for a living, it’s, “How did you get this job?” If there’s a question I get asked second-most, it’s, “Seriously, how did you?” And then third, it’s, “How do you spell Stacy Prammanasudh?” Answer: with no “e.”

Consider this week’s GMT is a backstage pass into the world of televised golf.

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11:02 a.m. — At DFW airport, I check my e-mail prior to my nine-hour flight to Honolulu. Good news! An extremely benevolent Nigerian prince has seen fit to bequeath to me $4 billion and only needs the routing number to my checking account! What luck! Now I won’t have to worry about buying my Viagra on sale, which is being generously offered in the next e-mail. The last message is from my former PGA Tour Radio cohort and still-current buddy Randy Brown, who is neither Nigerian nor a Viagra user (though I’ve heard whispers that he redeems the occasional coupon). Randy has forwarded me a link to a short web movie — maybe four minutes — that I suspect is yet another schmaltzy attempt to be inspirational but instead is just annoying. This one is different. See for yourself at www.tacmovie.com. I sit in Terminal D and weep. My first of 20 events this season is off to a rough start. I haven’t even left the state, and I’m already hopelessly homesick.

Something:40 p.m. — We’re cruising over no place or time zone in particular at 39,000 feet, which sounds frighteningly high until I remember seeing the video of the skydiver who survived neither of his two chutes opening. I feel better.

3:12 p.m. — Eva Mendes is on the cover of American Airlines’ in-flight magazine, which I’m told I’m free to take home. (Mendes is not included.) Seeing her and the mole on her cheek reminds me of the one on my daughter’s bottom lip, which along with the top lip and the rest of her turns five years old today. Happy birthday, A.C. Homesick again.

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A new use for Viagra: It could aid recovery for stroke patients

February 27, 2007

Can Viagra help stroke patients the way it has improved the lives of millions of American men?

Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit is putting out the call to find out.

It needs 62 more volunteers for a study to find out whether Viagra improves recovery in people with moderate symptoms from stroke within seven days or less.

Ford got federal approval two years ago to use the little blue pill, as some call it, for an early, experimental study in people who have had a moderate ischemic stroke - one caused by a blockage, the most common kind.

Ford promoted the study this week because only 10 patients have enrolled so far, said Dr. Brian Silver, a Ford neurologist heading the study. Some patients and families worried about side effects associated with the drug, including “inappropriate behaviors,” increased sex drive and disruptiveness, he said. (For details, call 313-916-2600 or go to www.henryford.com.)

Finding new uses for a drug are important to patients and pharmaceutical firms, particularly as companies look for ways to offset losses for profitable drugs like Viagra as they lose patent protection. Pfizer’s Viagra is expected to go generic in the next few years, unless the company wins longer patent protection.

Pfizer gained federal approval in 2005 to sell Viagra, repackaged and renamed as Revatio, in a white, 20-milligram pill to treat pulmonary hypertension, a lung disorder in children and adults. Prescribed three times a day, Revatio costs $10,271 a year, or about $33.49 a day - costs exceeding those paid for by insurers or men taking Viagra for erectile dysfunction.

When taken to enhance sexual performance, Viagra typically costs $112 for 10 100-milligram pills.

The higher cost of a single dose of Revatio reflects costs Pfizer incurred to study its use in an entirely different group of patients, gain federal approval and remarket it to a different audience.

A Pfizer spokesman said in an e-mail that the company “routinely supports clinical studies either directly or through independent research grants to expand scientific knowledge about Pfizer products and promising medical interventions.”

More than two dozen clinical studies are under way using Viagra for a variety of problems, from high blood pressure during pregnancy to menstrual bleeding and heart failure.

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Work by Michael Chopp, chief of neurology at Ford, could build the basis that Viagra may have therapeutic benefits beyond treating erectile dysfunction.

Chopp’s research centers on the brain’s capability to form new blood vessels and nerve connections, a process known as remodeling.

Chopp first gave Viagra to rats to see if those that had strokes recovered movement and memory. Viagra-fed rats were able to find a hidden escape platform, showed better footwork when walking over elevated grids and turned in both directions, instead of the one-way movements found in rats not on the drug after a stroke.

Silver said Viagra might produce a molecule, cGMP, or cyclic guanosine monophosphate, which sends signals to brain cells to create new nerve cells and connections, or synapses.

Patients in the Ford study get Viagra daily for two weeks and are followed for three months. The first dozen receive a 25-milligram pill; each dozen after that gets a higher dose, until the final group receives 150 milligrams in two doses a day, Silver said. The study is randomized, so half of the patients in phase-one will get a sugar pill.

Silver warns people not to give Viagra to stroke patients randomly because it could cause loss of vision and other problems.

Rene Jarinski was the first Ford patient to get Viagra after she took a migraine medicine on July 28, 2003, and ended up with a rare disorder known as locked-in syndrome, a severe type of stroke. She was unable to talk or move except to nod her head slightly or to glance sideways a little. It affects about 200 people worldwide every year and often is fatal, said Silver, Jarinski’s doctor.

After nine months of therapy, Jarinski is improving.

She uses a computer and “is beginning to work on standing,” Silver said.

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BRITS GET VIAGRA OVER THE COUNTER

February 21, 2007

ONDON (AP) — British pharmacy chain Boots will begin a trial program on Valentine’s Day to offer men the anti-impotence drug Viagra without a prescription, the company said Sunday.

The initial pilot program is expected to last six months, and Boots will then consider whether to expand it to other pharmacies. The chain has about 1,500 stores across Britain.

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The pilot, which begins Wednesday (Valentine’s Day), will be offered in three of the chain’s stores in the English city of Manchester, 195 miles (315 kilometers) northwest of London.

Would-be customers between ages 30-65 will be required to see a pharmacist, provide a medical history and have their blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels tested.

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Men will be required to make an appointment, which would likely last about an hour, and the screening would cover possible risk factors for the drug, which can have side effects, Boots spokeswoman Clare Stafford said.

The pharmacists have been trained to follow a “strict protocol,” Stafford said.

“It’s still very much a prescription drug,” she said. “This is just a different access point to it.”

The consultation and a pack of four pills will cost 50 pounds (US$98; euro75). If customers want a refill, they will be required to see a doctor, Stafford said.

Boots offers similar programs for treatment of the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia, as well as for weight loss and hair loss.

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Eminem tells ex-wife Kim to get over him

February 20, 2007

Eminem has slammed his ex-wife Kim Mathers for blasting him and his bedroom skills on a Detroit radio show last week.

Kim described her ex as an “absolutely horrible personâ€? on the Mojo In The Morning Show, adding: “I vomit in my mouth whenever I’m around him or I hear his name.”

She went on to blast his skills in the bedroom, saying: “If you’re going to have sex with Marshall, make sure you have a little blue bill [Viagra], because otherwise it does not work.”

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The hip hop star issued a statement through his publicist saying Kim needs to get over him.

“It’s a shame that I’ve moved on and Kim hasn’t. Her ongoing press campaign is doing nothing but harm to the children, and for that I feel truly sorry. For their sake I wish she would stop.”

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Viagra without prescription

February 14, 2007

In a trial programme to be launched on Valentine’s Day, men will be able to buy Viagra without a prescription at a few stores operated by the British pharmacy chain Boots.

The company said the pilot programme with the drug, used to treat erectile dysfunction, will be offered at three stores in Manchester and is expected to last six months, the Associated Press reported.

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Men, ages 30 to 65, who want to purchase Viagra without a prescription will have to see a pharmacist, provide a medical history, and undergo tests for cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose levels. If men want a refill, they’ll have to see a doctor.

After the initial trial, the company will consider whether to expand the programme to other outlets. Boots has about 1 500 stores across Britain, the AP reported. – (HealthDayNews)

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British Chain Sells Valentine Viagra OTC

February 13, 2007

LONDON — A gimmick timed for Valentine’s Day, or a dangerous medical precedent? Britain’s biggest pharmacy chain, Boots, will start selling Viagra over the counter at some stores on Feb. 14 — a day also designated in Britain as National Impotence Day.

Doctors are warning of the hazards of making the erectile dysfunction drug freely available to men — especially those with medical conditions such as diabetes or heart problems.

“This sets a very bad precedent and should not be condoned,” said Dr. Andrew McCullough, a sexual health expert at New York University Medical Center. “This system is basically prescribing medication without doctors.”

Under the scheme, men age 30 to 65 who want the impotence-fighting drug will have a one-hour consultation with a pharmacist, who will take their medical history and check blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels.

If no medical red flags are raised, the men can buy four Viagra pills for $97. For a refill, they will have to see a private doctor.

“We’re increasing access to Viagra for men who may be too embarrassed to talk about it with their general physician,” Boots spokeswoman Clare Stafford said Monday.

But doctors fear the practice could lead to major health problems being overlooked — and set a bad precedent for other countries. In many cases, sexual dysfunction is an indicator of an underlying disease, such as heart failure or diabetes.

Viagra — readily available on the Internet without prescription — was developed by Pfizer Inc. in 1996. It is one of the world’s top-selling drugs but is classified as a prescription drug worldwide. Though it is safe and effective, possible rare side effects include vision impairment, heart problems and stroke.

Patrons at a London bar were largely sympathetic to the idea of making the drug available without prescription.

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“It’s fair play,” said Jason Whelan, 30, who was having a beer with friends. He was quick to say he didn’t need the drug — yet.

“Come later in life, there’s nothing wrong with it,” he said.

Doctors believe the system might lead patients to believe that a quick pharmaceutical fix is just as effective as seeing a physician. “There is more to solving sex problems than giving men Viagra,” said Dr. David Ralph, a consultant urologist at University College London.

Ralph said the plan would undermine the potential for physicians to make a comprehensive diagnosis, which might even pick up health problems of the men’s sexual partners. “If men can just get Viagra at the pharmacy, we are losing the chance to do proper health screening,” he said.

In recent years, Boots has introduced similar initiatives with other drugs, such as those for weight loss, hair retention and the morning-after pill.

According to the regulations of the European Medicines Agency, which supervises drug use in Europe, Viagra should be available to men only under medical guidance. “Our stance is clear: Viagra is a prescription drug,” said Monika Bernstetter, an agency press officer. “But it’s up to member states how they implement prescriptions.”

Boots’ pilot program at three Manchester-based branches is expected to last six months. The pharmacy will then consider expanding it to other stores.

AP writer Raphael G. Satter in London contributed to this report.

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Toned-down advertising credited for Viagra gains

February 8, 2007

Even with a new advertising campaign for its well-known impotency pill Viagra, Pfizer Inc. didn’t get much of a boost in its overall sales for the erectile dysfunction treatment last year.

Pfizer launched ads last spring focusing on safety and efficacy, using a campaign featuring a doctor who appears on a man’s television screen while he is watching a football game. The ads are in contrast to more controversial spots the New York-based drug giant ran in the past but eventually pulled in the face of pressure from regulators and consumer groups.

Viagra sales were down 1 percent in the U.S. last year, to $796 million from $802 million in 2005, even with the new campaign and what many observers believe is a drug with the best-known brand name in the world.

But Pfizer said the new campaign was beginning to help Viagra sales at the end of last year. In the fourth quarter, for example, U.S. sales were up 5 percent, to $222 million, compared with $212 million in the fourth quarter of 2005.

“Viagra performed well in 2006,” said Francisco Gebauer, a Pfizer spokesman. “We believe our unbranded disease-awareness campaigns and branded advertising contributed to the increased sales growth in the fourth quarter by responsibly educating men about ED and motivating them to see their health-care providers.”

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Launched nearly nine years ago, Viagra appeared in advertising that became more controversial after competitors launched lifestyle ads for their products, namely Cialis and Levitra. In 2004, for example, Pfizer ran an ad that featured a smiling man standing in front of the letter V in Viagra, making it look like the man had devil horns. The ad sported the line: “Get back to mischief.”

Critics said such TV ads are not reflective of the men in their 50s, 60s and 70s who are asking for pills to treat erectile dysfunction.

Pfizer pulled the ad in November 2004 after it drew complaints from federal regulators. Doctors said such ads send a confusing message to patients who might really benefit from the drug, such as an elderly man who has had prostate surgery.

In 2005, Pfizer pledged that it would promote Viagra only during TV programs with predominantly adult audiences and would avoid high-profile programs such as the Super Bowl. As part of an industrywide effort to tone down drug ads, Pfizer launched the current campaign featuring a doctor talking about Viagra.

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Men’s sexual problems linked to an inactive lifestyle

February 5, 2007

Salt Lake City - Men, take heed: Exercising regularly and preventing heart disease and diabetes can safeguard your sex life.

A study published in last week’s issue of the American Journal of Medicine calculates that more than 18 million American men over age 20 are affected by erectile dysfunction, the inability to maintain or achieve an erection.

Almost 90 percent of the studied men with dysfunction had at least one risk factor for heart disease, such as diabetes, hypertension, poor cholesterol levels or smoking. They also were less likely to have had strenuous exercise within the month prior to the study.

With such a strong link between sexual problems and lifestyle, health providers are hoping men will make changes.

“This may be a powerful motivator for male patients who may be at risk for cardiovascular disease or who have diabetes,” said Elizabeth Selvin, lead author and a faculty member in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology. “It’s another reason to get off the couch and exercise and eat well.”

Researchers culled data from 2,126 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Men who reported being “sometimes able” or “never able” to get and keep an erection were labeled as having erectile dysfunction, while men who reported being “always or almost always able” or “usually able” were not.

The prevalence of erectile dysfunction was 18 percent. Men 70 and older were more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction, compared with 5 percent of men between ages 20 and 40.

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Almost half of all men in the study with diabetes also had erectile dysfunction.

Steven N. Gange, a urologist at Western Urological Clinic in Salt Lake City, said he believes from other studies that the number of men with the condition is much higher.

“This is actually a much lower number than I’m comfortable with,” Gange said.

The diabetes findings make sense to him. “Diabetes ultimately does become a vascular disease, and smoking and aging are also risk factors,” he said.

Erectile dysfunction can be the first sign of a vascular disease in otherwise seemingly healthy males. Recently, Gange saw a 33-year-old smoker who wasn’t responding to Viagra, Cialis or Levitra, popular drug treatments that increase blood flow to the penis. Gange recommended he see a cardiologist.

Blake Hamilton, a urologist with University Health Care in Salt Lake City, said men may seek medical help for sexual problems before other health issues because it affects their lives so negatively.

“Men often put things off,” he said. “But a lot will go to the doctor for erectile dysfunction. It’s important to make the connection between” erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease.

Brent Muhlestein, director of cardiology research at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, says cardiologists should ask their patients about erectile dysfunction.

“We have to learn when it’s safe and not safe to let patients with heart disease use Viagra or other similar medications,” Muhlestein said. “A lot of men ask for it because it’s very distressing to them. One thing I have done is tell patients not only can you prevent yourself from having a heart attack or stroke in the future, but it will also probably help your sex life to last longer,” he said.

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Woes of modern life: sit down, can’t get up

February 2, 2007

THERE’S more bad news for those pudgy couch potatoes, fast-food junkies and television devotees — and this time it really hits where it hurts.

A study has found that about 18 per cent of US men aged 20 and older suffer from erectile dysfunction — and the condition is strongly linked to a sedentary lifestyle of little physical exercise, poor diet and lots of television.

The condition was most common in older men but there was a strikingly high prevalence in men with diabetes and high blood pressure.

“This really means that staying active — moving more and eating less — and staying healthy, in addition to being good for your cardiovascular health, may also be good for your sexual health,” said study leader and epidemiologist Elizabeth Selvin of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “It’s just another reason to get off the couch and exercise,” Dr Selvin said.

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The study, in The American Journal of Medicine, investigated the prevalence of erectile dysfunction, formerly called impotence, in what Dr Selvin called “the post-Viagra era”. The US Government approved Pfizer Inc’s Viagra in 1998 as the first pill for erectile dysfunction. The study estimated that 18 million US men have the condition. Among those aged 20 to 39, 5.1 per cent had it; ages 40-59, 14.8 per cent; ages 60-69, 43.8 per cent; and age 70 and older 70.2 per cent.

Half of the men in the study who had diabetes also had erectile dysfunction. Nearly 90 per cent of men with erectile dysfunction had risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including diabetes, high blood pressure, poor cholesterol levels or smoking. Men who watched three or more hours of TV a day were much more likely to have the disorder than men who watched less than an hour a day. Losing weight, exercising and eating healthier foods might help, as well as better screening by doctors, Dr Selvin said.

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