Levitra - Definition

Vardenafil (Levitra) is a prescription drug used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. It can assist men with this disorder in achieving and maintaining an erection during sexual activity. It should not be used with types of medicines called nitrates and alpha-blockers because of potentially dangerous interactions with these drugs. Television commercials for the drug also warn that in the event an erection lasts for more than four hours, a condition known as priapism, medical advice should be sought immediately. (See also Tadalafil (Cialis) and Sildenafil (Viagra), commercial competitors with Cialis. See also Dr. John R. Brinkley for a historical perspective on electronic media campaigns regarding this same topic.)

History

Vardenafil was co-marketed by Bayer Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline under the trade name Levitra. According to a press release issued by the Bayer group on January 10, 2005, the co-promotion rights of GlaxoSmithKline on Levitra have been "transferred back" to Bayer for major markets in Asia, Europe, Africa, and other areas outside of the United States. Both companies continue to co-promote Levitra in the United States. In Italy, Bayer markets the product as Levitra and GSK markets the product as Vivanza.

As a PDE5 inhibitor, vardenafil is closely related in both function and marketing to sildenafil and tadalafil; it has a relatively short effective time, comparable to sildenafil. It is available in 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg doses in round orange tablets. The normal starting dose is 10 mg, roughly equivalent to 50 mg of sildenafil, and like sildenafil the maximum recommended frequency of use is once daily.

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Levitra Tablet

References

• Tadalafil (Cialis) and Sildenafil (Viagra), are commercial competitors to Viagra.
• Dr. John R. Brinkley began a fad for finding cures for male impotence during the 1930s. He used the medium of radio to achieve the same kind of advertising boom to treat the same kind of symptoms. Today the medium of television is being used for that same purpose. Time will tell how history will rate the current advertising campaigns by Viagra, Cialis and Levitra.

External links

• Home Page for Viagra (http://www.viagra.com/)
• Pfizer Pharmaceutical (Company website) (http://www.pfizer.com/) - manufacturer of Viagra; prescribing information (http://www.pfizer.com/download/uspi_viagra.pdf) available in PDF format.
• FDA Web Site for Viagra Consumer Information (http://www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/viagra/)
• Viagra Misunderstood (http://www.usrf.org/breakingnews/bn_111202_viagra/bn_111202_viagra.html) Article describing what Viagra feels like
• Cheitlin MD, Hutter AM Jr, Brindis RG, Ganz P, Kaul S, Russell RO Jr, Zusman RM. ACC/AHA expert consensus document. Use of sildenafil (Viagra) in patients with cardiovascular disease. American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1999 Jan;33(1):273-82. (Medline abstract (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=9935041)) (Full text (http://www.acc.org/clinical/consensus/viagra.htm))
• Official Levitra website (http://www.levitra.com/)
• FDA's Consumer Information (http://www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/druginfo/levitra.htm)