National FDAs in Europe and Asia approve new drugs
after deciding that the benefits outweigh the risks. Aware that bad side-effects
produce an avalanche of lawsuits, America’s FDA takes more care. No matter how
many lives a new drug will save, it wants the risk to be minuscule. This is
hard, so our FDA takes a long time to make up its mind.
As a result, other nations often have access to new
treatments years before America. Doctors complain all the time, but no one
expects the FDA to change.
There was a delightful exception: Viagra, discovered
in Britain but first released in the US. It’s my impression that no foreign
businessman in 1998 considered his US trip a success unless he returned home
with a bottle. My records show forty hotel guests who summoned me with this in
mind.
I love visiting guests who aren’t sick. While I have
no objection to filling certain prescriptions over the phone, Viagra is a
powerful drug with serious side-effects. Experts advise us to examine and
educate everyone who wants it.
No one objected to paying for a visit, so I came and asked about the guest’s medical history, performed an exam, and delivered my Viagra education. It doesn’t enlarge the penis; it’s not an aphrodisiac, it won’t prolong intercourse or delay ejaculation. It only encourages an erection. No one failed my exam. One gentleman from Indonesia asked for 5,000 tablets. Suspecting these were for resale, I worried about the legality, but this was no problem insisted the happy pharmacist who called me to confirm.
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