Anxious men face hard sell

By MARTIN JOHNSTON

Advertisements for Viagra are frightening men into needlessly taking the anti-impotence pill, says a leading psychologist.

Dr John Read, head of clinical psychology at Auckland University, told a sociology conference that promotional material for Viagra mis-informed thousands of New Zealand men that their erection problems needed to be treated with the drug.

"Scaring men into thinking they are impotent is great for profits," he said yesterday.

Drug companies had turned reactions to life events and circumstances into illnesses supposedly requiring their medicines to cure them. These included sadness and nervousness in adults and difficulty concentrating and misbehaviour in children.

The Government is reviewing direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines after strong opposition from doctor groups. Viagra is one of several heavily marketed erection drugs sold in New Zealand. Pfizer, which makes Viagra, claims nearly two-thirds of the $10 million market.

Craig Regan, an Australasian spokesman for Pfizer, rejected Dr Read's assertions.

"We believe our promotion in New Zealand is ethical and responsible. We're not creating demand ... People are taking the condition of erectile dysfunction seriously."

A Pfizer website says 80 per cent of erection problems can be associated with physical conditions such as high blood pressure, although psychological factors like anxiety are often important.

But Dr Read said 90 per cent of erection problems were caused by performance anxiety, alcohol or "feeling guilty about being with someone you shouldn't be with".