A faster Viagra

Researchers are working on an inhalable version, but don't hold your breath.

Published April 12, 2000 4:00PM (EDT)

The miracle of Viagra has washed over the whole of society. We now know the pill is available through the Internet without a prescription. We know it usually costs between $7 and $10 per pill. And we know it takes about an hour to take effect.

But what if you can't wait a whole hour? What if you'd like an erection right now, goddamnit? Do you have to sit around like an idiot, your partner glancing at the clock, before the stupid drug takes effect?

How miraculous can this be, anyway? We can send a man to the moon, etc., etc.

Impotent men (and the people who love them) may rest assured that Pfizer Inc., the American drug manufacturer responsible for Viagra, is working to keep your trust. It has already thought of your anxiety, anticipating that uncomfortable, toe-tapping hour that seems like an eternity. And the company has done something about it.

It is already working on an inhalable version.

Last week, New Scientist magazine reported that Pfizer tested its inhalable variant on dogs (where's that video footage?) before trying it on actual humans, and discovered there was a more rapid "onset of action" than with the conventional Viagra tablets.

Apparently Pfizer has been trying to develop inhalable Viagra for some time and even filed for a European patent 18 months ago.

So you see? They know what's up. They're nobody's fools, those Pfizer folks.

Alas, the company says there is no guarantee the inhalable version will ever come to market.


By Jack Boulware

Jack Boulware is a writer in San Francisco and author of "San Francisco Bizarro" and "Sex American Style."

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