Lilly and ICOS have already filed their impotence drug, Cialis, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
And in New Zealand it tapped Graham Lowe , 56, a popular rugby coach, as a spokesman for Cialis.
Lilly ICOS, which manufactures Cialis, said there had been a small number of cases of NAION in people taking the drug.
Their anti-impotence drug, Cialis, should be on sale in Europe in 2003.
That means Cialis will probably hit the U.S. market before vardenafil: Lilly and ICOS are predicting a launch in the second half of 2002.
The researchers urge any patient who has endured a sudden severe loss of vision, and has been prescribed Viagra or Cialis, to contact a doctor.
The New York-based drug giant filed a lawsuit last year in the U.S.District Court inDelaware, alleging both Cialis and Levitra infringe a recent Viagra "method-of-use" patent.
It's the same clap to the head you get while watching 60 Minutes or network news while having to endure all those ads for Cialis and Flomax.
Eli Lilly says its sales force is already promoting Cialis to doctors, and that the prescription drug will appear on pharmacy shelves by the end of this week.
Pfizer has asserted that it has patents covering the chemical path by which Viagra works--so far without having an effect on the profitability of rivals Levitra or Cialis.
On October 22nd, Pfizer won a new, broad patent on Viagra, its anti-impotence drug, in America and sued Lilly to block the launch of Cialis, its longer-lasting alternative.
ECONOMIST: Despite its poor results, Lilly's future may be rosy
An additional question mark for Cialis: It inhibits another phosphodiesterase enzyme, PDE-11, which is found in the testicles and the heart, although the Lilly-Icos team insists studies show no problems.
Pfizer (nyse: PFE - news - people ) is suing both drugmakers, saying that its patents for Viagra also cover screens to make similar compounds like Levitra and Cialis.
Lilly and Icos have another message in mind entirely: their Cialis works for more than 36 hours, compared with as few as five hours for Viagra and as long as a day for Levitra.
Pfizer (nyse: PFE - news - people ) has asserted that it has patents covering the chemical path by which Viagra works--so far without having an effect on the profitability of rivals Levitra or Cialis.
Birchenough covers not Pfizer but Icos (nasdaq: ICOS - news - people ), a biotech company that co-markets Viagra rival Cialis with drug giant Eli Lilly (nyse: LLY - news - people ).
Some have pinned hopes on anti-impotence drug Vardenafil, but that will face competition from Cialis, a drug being developed by Eli Lilly (nyse: LLY - news - people) and biotech partner ICOS (nasdaq: ICOS - news - people), as well as Pfizer's blockbuster Viagra.
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