Impotence pill has
men’s hopes,
demand soaring

About 20,000 prescriptions are
being filled a day for Viagra,
including many in isles

By Russ Lynch
Star-Bulletin

The arrival of a new drug for impotence has Hawaii pharmacists busy answering questions and referring customers to their doctors for prescriptions.

So far, stocks of the first pill for impotence in men are plentiful, island pharmacists say, but they expect demand to soar when the word gets around.

The Wall Street Journal says 20,000 prescriptions are being filled every day nationally for the medication, called Viagra, which only won approval from the Food and Drug Administration at the end of March.

Demand could easily run into the millions quickly, the newspaper said, because all the man who can't get an erection has to do is take a pill an hour before having sex.

"It's hot," said James Lee McElhaney, owner of the Pillbox Pharmacy in Kaimuki. "I've filled about 10 prescriptions. Most physicians are unaware of it," he said.

McElhaney expects demand will soar when word gets around.

"The whole question is the grass-roots, word-of-mouth feedback from one user to another," McElhaney said.

The product has only been on the market for a few weeks.

The Kailua Safeway's pharmacy has only filled a couple of Viagra prescriptions, said pharmacist Carl Miyamoto.

"There will be more when the word gets around," he said. "It's on Jay Leno's monologue just about every night."

Kevin Nakagawa, pharmacist at the Kahala Times Super Market, added, "People are coming in and asking about it, asking whether HMSA covers it."

So far Viagra is not covered by the major medical plans in Hawaii.

"Several people have come in and asked, and they go to their doctor to request it to be prescribed," Nakagawa said.

"The reason this is so popular is just because it is an oral tablet," he said.

Existing impotence drugs must be either injected into the penis or inserted directly into the urinary tract, both unpopular delivery methods.

Al Chang, owner of Wilder Avenue Drugs, said he doesn't see demand surpassing supply now, but there are a lot of inquiries. "People just really want it," he said.

The Kaiser pharmacies got Viagra in stock Monday and are getting inquiries, officials said. Kaiser physicians prescribe the medication in suitable cases, although the health plan itself does not pay for the pills.

The two most recent advances in producing erections in erectile-dysfunctional men are injections directly into the penis and inserting a small capsule through a tube into the penis.

But physicians say both systems have a high rate of rejection because they are awkward and sometimes uncomfortable to use.

The opportunity to just take a pill sometime before sex is a real breakthrough for sexually dysfunctional men, they say.

Viagra's effectiveness does depend on sexual stimulation. It won't work without it, and it won't work in all cases, according to scientific literature based on extensive tests.

Like a lot of other medical breakthroughs, Viagra was discovered because of a side effect. Erections came when men used its basic ingredient in a heart medicine.

Local pharmacists and physicians agree on one thing: Viagra should only be used after it has been prescribed by a physician who knows all about the patient and knows what other medications the patient is taking.

The pill has also popularized the stock of its maker, Pfizer Inc., pushing it up 20 percent in just a week. Pfizer yesterday closed at a 52-week high of $116.19.