Viagra Maker Supports Drug Despite the Deaths of Six Men

Drug-maker Pfizer Inc. said Thursday it is standing behind its blockbuster impotence pill Viagra despite the deaths of six men in the U.S. who were taking the drug.

The company said it has reviewed the circumstances surrounding the deaths and decided not to make any changes to the drug’s labeling, which warns against mixing Viagra with certain heart medications. The label was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before Viagra was made available.

Pfizer said in a statement that “it appears that these cases were attributed to either cardiovascular events associated with sexual activity in older men or a combination of Viagra and nitrates, which is contraindicated in the FDA-approved label.”

The FDA announced last Friday it was investigating the causes of death of six men taking the world’s first impotence pill, and trading of Pfizer on the New York Stock Exchange was briefly halted at the time while more details were sought.

Two Brazilian men using the pill also have died this month, although Brazilian health authorities said they were not certain the pill caused the deaths.

Viagra has been on the market since early April, in which time more than 1 million prescriptions have been written.