Viagra may treat diabetes disorder

NEW YORK, AUGUST 1: Pfizer Inc's anti-impotence drug Viagra may also be an effective remedy for a digestive condition common among diabeti...

NEW YORK, AUGUST 1: Pfizer Inc’s anti-impotence drug Viagra may also be an effective remedy for a digestive condition common among diabetics, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. The condition blocks or slows the passage of food from the stomach to the intestine.

In its electronic edition, the Journal said a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that Viagra appears to cause an important muscle in the digestive tract to relax in much the way it prompts a muscle in the penis to ease and facilitate an erection.

The drug has only been tested in diabetic mice, the newspaper reported, but the results were so encouraging that a pilot study to try it on men and women will be launched as soon as next month.

The problem, known as gastroparesis, affects up to 75 percent of diabetics, causing bloating, loss of appetite and in some cases vomiting and dehydration, the Journal said.

Gastroparesis also can complicate efforts to control blood-sugar levels with medication because it disrupts the timing of the digestive process, the newspaper said.

Pfizer did not sponsor the research, which was funded by the US Public Health Service and other non-corporate sources. The study appears in August’s journal of Clinical Investigation, the Wall Street Journal said.