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On
the Way: Uprima, A 2nd Pill for Impotency BOSTON, April 10 - Uprima, an impotence pill that works on the brain---a different mechanism than Viagra --- drew a vote of confidence from a federal advisory panel today. The Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health of the Food and Drug Administration voted at a meeting in Bethesda, Md., today to recommend the 2 and 4 milligram doses of Uprima (apomorphine) as a treatment for male erectile dysfunction (impotency). The FDA takes the committee's recommendations into consideration when approving new drugs, but the agency usually follows the advisory panel recommendations. A decision may come in days or in months Unlike a Viagra pill, which is swallowed, Uprima, or apomorphine is placed under the tongue and absorbed directly into the bloodstream. That means it acts quickly - in as little as 10 minutes, compared to the 20 minutes it takes Viagra to work. Viagra is reviewed extensively on the USRF website.
Clinical studies have shown that at the 2 milligram dose, about 44 percent of men taking Uprima have success attempting and achieving a firm erection compared to 38 percent for placebo. At higher doses, the success rate goes up to 60 percent. But so does the drug's main side effect - nausea. "This is a drug which has considerable potential for side effects and that will be dose related," says John Bancroft, director of the Kinsey Institute in Bloomington Indiana. "So it's a question of whether you can get the desired effects at low dose. … I'm cautious, but I think it'll be good to have it." Uprima is a product of TAP Pharmaceuticals , a joint venture between Takeda Chemical Industries of Japan and Abbott Laboratories. Molecular Structure of Uprima (apomorphine) A Business Evaluation of Uprima Uprima abstracts
at 2000 AUA Meeting |
And Uprima, targets
a man's brain instead of his erection equipment the way Viagra does.
Viagra works by improving blood flow in the penis. Uprima, once absorbed,
is transported to the brain, where it mimics a chemical called dopamine.
Having a little extra jolt of dopamine-like Uprima stimulates the parts
of the brain that help men become aroused.