Hearing loss linked to impotence drugs |
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Thu, 18 Oct 2007 23:04
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WASHINGTON (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration alerted physicians Thursday to rare reports of sudden hearing loss in men taking popular impotence drugs from Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Bayer.FDA said it is unclear whether the hearing problems are directly related to drugs like Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. However, at the agency's request the drugs' makers added more prominent precautions about hearing loss to product labels at FDA's request.Prior labeling for the pills mentioned that hearing problems occured in rare cases among patients tested with the drugs.FDA noted that while decreased hearing is common among elders, sudden hearing loss is highly unusual.Agency officials said they have received 29 reports of sudden hearing loss since Pfizer's Viagra, the first impotence drug, was approved in 1998. FDA said men taking the drugs who experience hearing problems should stop taking them immediately and seek medical attention.Pfizer scientists stressed that the problems reported in connection to Vaigra are extremely rare, with just 11 cases reported in 16,000 patients studied.'Based on this data we don't think there's any causal relationship between Viagra and hearing loss,' said Pfizer's Vice President of Medical Affairs Dr. Ponni Subbiah.Shares of Pfizer Inc. rose 4 cents Thursday to $25.58 in after hours trading while Eli Lilly & Co. shares closed down 30 cents to $56.65.Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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