Viagra

Re "Viagra and Gays--a Matter of Morality," Commentary, May 11: Is it moral for heterosexuals to revel in the benefits of Viagra, a sexually enhancing drug, without the intention of having children, and then have the nerve to chastise homosexuals for wanting the drug for the same enhanced level physical intimacy? Maybe not, but that is not the issue. The question is not "Who gets Viagra?" Anyone who wants it gets it. I was not aware heterosexuality was a requirement for any type of prescription drug.

Good news for your Viagra-using hamster: On his next trip to Europe he'll bounce back from jet lag faster than his unmedicated friends. The researchers who revealed that bizarre fact earned one of 10 Ig Nobel prizes awarded Thursday night for quirky, funny and sometimes legitimate scientific achievements, including the mathematics of wrinkled sheets and U.S. military efforts to make a "gay bomb."

Re "Kaiser, Citing Cost, Won't Pay for Viagra," June 20: While I sympathize with the problem of impotency, I must applaud Kaiser's decision to refuse coverage for Viagra, the outlandishly expensive new designer drug from Pfizer. Faced with numerous patients eagerly demanding the newest medical "miracle" cure, the easy out for Kaiser would have been to simply cover the drug, then quietly pass the cost on to other subscribers. Surprisingly, Kaiser just said no. This has set an interesting and challenging precedent.

The state Department of Corporations said it has closed its investigation of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan's policies regarding the anti-impotence pill Viagra after finding that the HMO earlier this year "may have encouraged" its doctors not to prescribe the drug because of cost considerations. In April, Kaiser, the nation's largest nonprofit HMO, announced that, with rare exceptions, it would not cover the cost of the expensive treatment for sexual dysfunction.

It is a headache for world health officials, a boon for black markets from Mexico to Egypt and the hottest idea since Charles Atlas promised to rescue skinny wretches who got sand kicked in their face. What else? Viagra. From the slums of Cairo to fashionable villas in Milan, the world has gone gaga over the anti-impotence pill. Worried authorities are cautioning that Viagra can help those with real medical needs but won't produce instant Don Juans.

Two years after Viagra made its stunning debut--transforming the sex lives of millions and generating a glut of office-cooler jokes--a second pill for impotence is waiting in the wings. The new pill, called Uprima, is considered a worthy rival to the hugely successful Viagra, which has sold 20 million prescriptions. Studies show that Uprima works much faster than Viagra.

THE little blue pill known as Viagra is keeping many men in pleasure, and for a while there was hope that it would do the same for women. But now researchers know that women need something different to improve their desire for sex, and their enjoyment of it. "A number of compounds effective in men have limited utility in women," says Dr. Taylor Segraves, a psychiatrist at Case Western School of Medicine in Cleveland.

Under pressure from the Bush administration, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday ordered California health officials to not provide Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs to convicted sex offenders. Schwarzenegger said he issued the emergency order "to protect all Californians" until permanent regulations can be written to "target the sex offenders who pose a threat to innocent citizens with these drugs." About 63,000 registered sex offenders live in California.

"Lights! Camera! Viagra!" (July 6), about Viagra and the pornography industry, was fascinating. As I drive through the San Fernando Valley and its nondescript warehouses, I can only imagine what really happens behind those walls. I felt the article brought to light a chronic problem that has manifested itself in a new way--drug abuse. This time, it's not crack cocaine or methamphetamines but Viagra. I never would have guessed. Barry Soben Los Angeles