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CNN Saturday Morning News
Weekend House Call
Aired August 23, 2003 - 08:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning and welcome to Weekend House Call.
We're going to be looking at Viagra and other pills to treat sexual dysfunction because there's a new competitor on the market. On Tuesday, the FDA approved a second anti-impotence drug. It's called Levitra. This pill, orange instead of blue, should give Viagra a run for its money.
And as Susan Lisovicz reports, a third alternative is not far behind.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If the sexual reveal began with the birth control pill, then it got its second wind with Viagra. The breakthrough pill to treat male impotence has become in five years one of the best known brand names in the world. Viagra claims about three million users in the U.S., but analysts say the market is much bigger than that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number of people approaching the age of 50 is increasing in every year.
LISOVICZ: That sets the stage for a little known rival that has now won FDA approval named Levitra.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Levitra? Levitra? That's a new word in my vocabulary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that a French word? No, Levitra. Never heard of a Levitra in my life.
LISOVICZ: But Levitra is well known in more than 30 countries where it is already sold. And while major league baseball has been used as a platform for selling Viagra, Mike Ditka will pitch Levitra in a campaign timed to coincide with the start of the football season. Still another competitor, Cialis (ph), is expected to get government clearance soon. Cialis, also sold overseas, has been dubbed "the weekender" because it lasts up to 36 hours. Experts say the market potential is tremendous.
DR. IRWIN GOLDSTEIN, UROLOGY PROFESSOR, BOSTON UNIVERSITY: I have a very important phrase, the penis knows no loyalty. I think that men who have had erection problems don't need to stay with a certain therapy if it's not giving them the response that they would like. LISOVICZ: The pills are similar in their pricing and the way they work.
(on camera): One striking difference may be the approach advertisers take and tackling this most sensitive of male problems. Levitra is expected to appeal to women, to get their men out of denial and over to a physician.
Susan Lisovicz, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: You should be able to purchase Levitra some time in the next few weeks. You'll need a prescription from your doctor and the costs should be comparable to Viagra, which runs about $10 to $12 a pill. Insurance usually covers Viagra, and will probably cover Levitra, as well.
About 30 million men have erectile dysfunction, but only one in five seek help. The side effects of Levitra are about the same as Viagra. They can include headache, facial flushing, stomach upset, nasal stuffiness and a bluish hue to vision. But there appears to be less of a vision problem with Levitra.
We want to answer your questions about this new anti-impotence drug. And don't worry, we'll be talking about options for women, as well, and some of the causes of sexual dysfunction.
So give us a call at 1-800-807-2620 or e-mail us your questions to housecall@cnn.com.
But actually, before we go to your questions, we're going to go the Iraq, where Paul Bremmer is having a live press conference.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 23, 2003 - 08:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning and welcome to Weekend House Call.
We're going to be looking at Viagra and other pills to treat sexual dysfunction because there's a new competitor on the market. On Tuesday, the FDA approved a second anti-impotence drug. It's called Levitra. This pill, orange instead of blue, should give Viagra a run for its money.
And as Susan Lisovicz reports, a third alternative is not far behind.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If the sexual reveal began with the birth control pill, then it got its second wind with Viagra. The breakthrough pill to treat male impotence has become in five years one of the best known brand names in the world. Viagra claims about three million users in the U.S., but analysts say the market is much bigger than that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number of people approaching the age of 50 is increasing in every year.
LISOVICZ: That sets the stage for a little known rival that has now won FDA approval named Levitra.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Levitra? Levitra? That's a new word in my vocabulary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that a French word? No, Levitra. Never heard of a Levitra in my life.
LISOVICZ: But Levitra is well known in more than 30 countries where it is already sold. And while major league baseball has been used as a platform for selling Viagra, Mike Ditka will pitch Levitra in a campaign timed to coincide with the start of the football season. Still another competitor, Cialis (ph), is expected to get government clearance soon. Cialis, also sold overseas, has been dubbed "the weekender" because it lasts up to 36 hours. Experts say the market potential is tremendous.
DR. IRWIN GOLDSTEIN, UROLOGY PROFESSOR, BOSTON UNIVERSITY: I have a very important phrase, the penis knows no loyalty. I think that men who have had erection problems don't need to stay with a certain therapy if it's not giving them the response that they would like. LISOVICZ: The pills are similar in their pricing and the way they work.
(on camera): One striking difference may be the approach advertisers take and tackling this most sensitive of male problems. Levitra is expected to appeal to women, to get their men out of denial and over to a physician.
Susan Lisovicz, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: You should be able to purchase Levitra some time in the next few weeks. You'll need a prescription from your doctor and the costs should be comparable to Viagra, which runs about $10 to $12 a pill. Insurance usually covers Viagra, and will probably cover Levitra, as well.
About 30 million men have erectile dysfunction, but only one in five seek help. The side effects of Levitra are about the same as Viagra. They can include headache, facial flushing, stomach upset, nasal stuffiness and a bluish hue to vision. But there appears to be less of a vision problem with Levitra.
We want to answer your questions about this new anti-impotence drug. And don't worry, we'll be talking about options for women, as well, and some of the causes of sexual dysfunction.
So give us a call at 1-800-807-2620 or e-mail us your questions to housecall@cnn.com.
But actually, before we go to your questions, we're going to go the Iraq, where Paul Bremmer is having a live press conference.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
