The mandate of nature declares overwhelming orgasms to be the ultimate purpose in life; everything else is subordinate. There comes a time in life for every man, especially a happily married man, to acquire happiness and self-assurance through sexual gratification of his lover. As one can fancy, the ultimate pleasure of orgasm can be difficult to fulfill for both him and her if his erection lacks endurance. Erectile dysfunction (ED) and its drug treatment is the topic of this essay.
Erectile dysfunction is properly defined as the inability of a man to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for his sexual needs or the needs of his partner. Studies show that about half of all men in the United States between the ages of forty and seventy have ED to some degree. ED is mostly the result of aging; however, physiological and psychological factors, such as high blood pressure and depression, can also lead to ED. In societies around the world, there is a constant consumer demand for various concoctions, herb or chemical, promising to restore a man's libido to what it was when he was in his mid-twenties. Such a time machine has been made possible in this modern age, and it takes its form in a blue, diamond-shaped tablet. Its name is Viagra, or more scientifically known as Sildenafil Citrate.
In all of history, many great discoveries are uncovered by accident. The story behind Viagra is no exception. Few people would find it plausible that an outrageous side effect caused by an experimental drug during its trial phase can become a worldwide corporate moneymaker. Simone Campbell and David Roberts, who led the research team at Pfizer, would not be those few. In 1985, Campbell and Roberts began their journey with the intension of finding treatment for those who suffer from hypertension and angina. Such a treatment would involve a drug that inhibits phosphodiesterase (PDE). The initial stepping stone of this project focused on a compound known as Zaprinast (Fig.