Ten years ago this month, the Food and Drug Administration's approval of a little blue pill changed the sex lives of millions of men and women.
Viagra, the first oral treatment for erectile dysfunction was developed accidentally by scientists at Pfizer Laboratories and was greenlighted for use by the FDA on March 27, 1998.
"Originally, we were testing sildenafil, the active drug in Viagra, as a cardiovascular drug and for its ability to lower blood pressure,'' Dr. Brian Klee, senior medical director at Pfizer, told French news agency, AFP. "But one thing that was found during those trials is that people didn't want to give the medication back because of the side effect of having erections that were harder, firmer and lasted longer.''
Since its approval, Viagra has been used by 35 million men around the world. It took the taboo out of impotence — former presidential candidate Bob Dole who suffered from erectile dysfunction after surgery for prostate cancer once appeared in a commercial for the drug — and made it easier to treat.
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