Many people are interested in how Viagra was discovered because this drug has existed on the market for a long time, for about 20 years! In 1999, Viagra entered the market with its main purpose to increase male potency and improve an erection. The most interesting fact is that these pills were not created specifically for this purpose, they were invented by chance, just as the strength of X-rays and the effectiveness of penicillin.
History of Viagra
In 1992, the pharmacological company Pfizer conducted studies of the drug known as sildenafil citrate. They expected that this substance would reduce blood pressure and improve blood circulation to the brain. However, during the testing, they found out that sildenafil citrate did not reduce blood pressure. For this reason, the company closed studies and required volunteers to return the remaining tablets, however, the men categorically refused to do this, citing the fact that they lost or threw the drug away, and some of the subjects even began to deny the very fact of participation in testing.
Only one subject honestly admitted that the drug caused him an increase in erection, which he was incredibly happy about. At first, the doctors were stunned and did not know how to react to the words of the man, and whether it was worthwhile to somehow advance research in this direction. Pfizer decided to test Viagra to increase potency.
Over the course of four years of research, more than four thousand subjects took part in the experiment, whose ages ranged from 19 to 89 years. All of them were united by a common diagnosis – erectile dysfunction. More than $500,000 was spent on the study, but the results were overwhelming: over 80% of the subjects showed an improvement in potency, with no side effects. After that, it was decided to release the drug, now known as Viagra, a cheaper analogue.