See also Columbine massacre; Crime; Homosexu-
ality and gay rights; Menendez brothers murder
case.
Viagra
Identification A drug used to treat erectile
dysfunction
Manufacturer Patented and marketed by Pfizer
Date Approved for use in the United States on
March 27, 1998
Widely popular because previous treatments were unpleas-
ant, Viagra opened discussion of an underreported and
previously stigmatized topic.
Before Viagra, medical treatments of impotence were
few and unpleasant: surgical implants, injections
into the penis just before intercourse, or a supposi-
tory in the urethra. Between this and the widespread
view that impotence was largely psychological, few
men even reported it to their doctors.
The drug, sildenafil citrate, relaxes blood vessels
and increases blood flow; it does not cause erections
without stimulation, as the injected beta blockers
do. The dose is 25 milligrams to 100 milligrams, not
more than once per day, taken between thirty min-
utes and four hours before sexual intercourse. The
pill is a distinctive blue diamond.
Andrew Bell, Dr. David Brown, and Dr. Nicholas
Terrett, employees of Pfizer in England, developed
the drug for heart problems, for which it was pat-
ented in 1991. During overall-disappointing Welsh
trials in 1992, some users reported better erections.
Products and research of the 1980’s showed that
chemical treatments could be effective and helped
Pfizer understand why sildenafil citrate had that ef-
fect, and the company developed it to treat impo-
tence. Patients enthusiastically volunteered for trials
and even lied to keep extra pills rather than turning
them in.
The drug was approved by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) for erectile dysfunction on
March 27, 1998. In its first year, Viagra made over
one billion dollars in sales. Though it requires a pre-
scription, Viagra was advertised on television, in-
cluding endorsements by former senator Bob Dole.
A number of comedians made Viagra jokes, and the
drug became widely available on the Internet. The
popular press also covered Viagra, and 1998 and
1999 saw multiple books, with titles such asViagra:
The Virility Breakthrough(1998) andViagra: The Po-
tency Promise(1998). Viagra has almost become a ge-
neric term: over-the-counter supplements and even
placebos are marketed as “herbal Viagra.”
Overwhelmingly, the drug is used responsibly
and with few side effects, though some do abuse the
drug, sometimes with the psychedelic drug Ecstasy
(methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA),
which increases affection but decreases sexual per-
formance. One characteristic Viagra side effect is
blue-tinted vision, and Joseph Moran of New Jersey
sued Pfizer because he claimed visual effects from
Viagra caused him to crash his car.Impact Although other treatments existed, the con-
venience of Viagra began a new era in treating impo-
tence. Advertisements for Viagra opened discussion
of the problem and helped to reframe it as a casual
medical issue instead of an embarrassment or sign of
mental issues. Competition came five years afterThe Nineties in America Viagra 895
Viagra pills. (AP/Wide World Photos)