Blue Pill Anniversary

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the event that revolutionized consumer pharmaceuticals. Sadly, we are not referring to the Schweinsohr (Swine’s ear a.k.a. Gomphus clavatus), the 1998 German “Fungus of the Year” winner.

You would be getting fairly close if you’ve guessed the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded to Ferid Murad, Robert Furchgott, and Louis Ignarro who discovered the pivotal role of nitric oxide (NO) as an important physiological signaling molecule.

This past March, scientists and couples worldwide celebrated 10 years of benefits of 1-[4-ethoxy-3-(6,7-dihydro-1-methyl-7-oxo-3-propyl-1H-pyrazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidin-5-yl) phenylsulfonyl]-4-methylpiperazine citrate,

also known as sildenafil citrate,

but best known as…[disable your spam filters!]… Viagra.

On March 27, 1998, those little blue pills entered the market, becoming one of the most successful pharmaceutical rollouts in recent years. Pfizer, Inc. had revenues of $788 million in 1998 and still earns nearly $2 billion per year, while its competitors Eli Lilly (makers of “Cialis”) and Bayer (“Levitra”) earn 1.6 billion annually with their little yellow pills.

Over 35 million men have consumed Viagra since 1998, according to Pfizer – millions more were taken in by placebos with no active agent.

Perhaps Nobel laureates Murad, Furchgott and Ignarro can be credited with Viagra’s success. Its mechanism of action is the enhancement of the NO by inhibiting the enzyme that normally breaks down cGMP.

The result is, well, quite a strong rise.

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