AIDS group sues over Viagra ads
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation filed a lawsuit Monday against Pfizer Inc., claiming the drug manufacturer’s advertising for Viagra encourages recreational use and contributes to increased incidence of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.
The San Francisco-based group said in the lawsuit that Pfizer initially promoted Viagra as a drug for men with erectile dysfunction, using former Sen. Bob Dole, now 83, as a spokesman.
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But Michael Weinstein, the foundation’s president, said the manufacturer has come full circle by using younger men in ads, implying that it’s a lifestyle drug used for sexual enhancement.
“I’ve never seen a drug advertised for a holiday like they did for New Year’s Eve or for the Super Bowl,” Weinstein said in a interview Monday.
“Everybody knows that New Year’s Eve is binge night,” he said. “They are advertising Viagra for mild erectile dysfunction, which to me is performance enhancement. This drug is intended to treat a medical condition, that’s how it was approved by the FDA.”
In a statement Monday, Pfizer officials denied promoting Viagra for recreational use:
“We have always been committed to safe and appropriate use of Viagra for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, which is why we encourage men with ED to see their doctor for a proper diagnosis and to discuss symptoms, treatment options and safe sexual practices.”
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the nation’s largest HIV/AIDS health care provider, also said studies show Viagra is often used among men who have sex with men to overcome the erection-inhibiting effects of using alcohol or drugs such as Ecstasy and methamphetamine.
“What we have in this country is twin epidemics of crystal meth and HIV,” Weinstein said. “They’ve merged. Reality is when you take crystal meth, you can’t get an erection. If you take meth, a way to solve that is to take Viagra.”
In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration objected to a television commercial suggesting Viagra could transform a man into the “wild thing” of yesteryear. FDA officials said the ad, depicting a man sprouting horns on his head, made an unproven claim that men could regain a youthful level of sexual desire. Pfizer ended the ad campaign.
“It is clearly stated in the Viagra product label, all patient communications and advertising that Viagra does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV,” Pfizer said in the statement. “Pfizer recognizes that the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases is a significant public health issue.”
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, asks that Pfizer be prohibited from running similar messages and ordered to fund awareness advertising about sexually transmitted disease risks and Viagra.
The suit also asks that the drug maker give profits from misleading ads to pay the health care group’s cost of treating AIDS and other illnesses linked to Viagra use.
The group said it’s not taking similar action against makers of Cialis and Levitra, Lilly and GlaxoSmithKline, respectively, because those manufacturers do not promote recreational use of those drugs.
