Suit blames Viagra for vision loss

Rocky Mountain News

Published August 2, 2007 at midnight

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A Denver man has sued the company that makes Viagra, saying the erectile dysfunction drug caused a stroke that deprived him of vision in one eye.

Thomas Parker filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Denver on Tuesday against Pfizer Inc.

Parker's complaint alleges that Pfizer failed to notify consumers of the potential side effects and has downplayed those risks.

Neither Parker, his lawyer nor a Pfizer representative could be reached for comment.

The suit contends that Viagra contains "unreasonably dangerous design defects." It also states that Pfizer knew of and failed to use a safer design and ingredient for Viagra.

On July 8, the FDA approved updated labeling for Cialis, Levitra and Viagra to reflect what the agency described as a "small number" of reports of sudden vision loss attributed to a condition in which blood flow is blocked to the optic nerve.

The FDA advisory cautioned patients taking the medication to consult with a doctor or health care provider if they experienced a sudden or decreased loss of vision in one or both eyes.

The advisory also stated that it is "not possible" to determine whether those drugs were responsible for the vision loss, citing other possible factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes or a combination of these problems.

According to Business Week, Americans consumed $434 million worth of Viagra in the first three months of 2007, an increase of 11 percent over the same period last year.

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