Viagra for Pulmonary Hypertension

A premature baby who has lived for a year in intensive care and had four operations has been successfully treated with Viagra to stabilise the blood pressure in her pulmonary artery. The little girl, named Ellie, has now spent her first Christmas at home with her family. Although she still needs a ventilator to help her to breathe, if the Viagra continues to work she should progress well and virtually lead a normal life.

Viagra has also successfully treated another child, Natalie Archibald, who also suffers pulmonary hypertension and was referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. Doctors there prescribed her viagra, which has made her feel a lot better, enabling her to lead a more normal life.

Pulmonary hypertension is a progressive lung disorder that causes high blood pressure in the arteries around the lungs, thus restricting blood flow. Viagra works by dilating the arteries and so increasing the blood flow.

The preparation of viagra used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is called Revatio, to avoid confusion with Viagra. The active ingredient is the same in both - sildenafil citrate.

Pfizer have submitted an additional registration for the active ingredient sildenafil to the FDA for the treatment of PAH, and received approval in June 2005. The pills are available in a dose of 20mg and the pills are round and white.

Other treatments for PAH include bosentan and prostacyclin-based therapies.