Viagra
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BasRThe intention was:
Pharmaceutical company Pfizer wanted to develop a medicine for angina, chest pains and high blood pressure – a great intention.
The course of action was:
Pfizer invested in and carried out clinical trials for 6 years under the leadership of Ian Osterloh. As far as is known the research was carried out properly and there were no mishaps. Except...
The result was:
After 6 years it became clear that the medicine did not have the desired effects. However, many patients reported erections and improved potency as side effects.
The lesson was:
Pfizer radically changed strategy and tested the new medicine against erection disorders.
Further:
Today, every second, someone somewhere is taking a Viagra pill.
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Comment / Comments
To say 6 years of angine trials is misleading. There were 2 years of trials in angina, at which point a switch was made to erectile dysfunction trials, which took another 4 years. And Ian Osterloh was only involved in the last three years. The early clinical team was led for three years by Dr David Brown with Dr Mike Allen responsible for the clinical work, and they together discovered the anti-impotence activity. Ian Osterloh took over later, once the late stage impotence studies began.
David Brown