Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Viagra Treatment for Muscular Dystrophy


Viagra is the most popular drug for erectile dysfunction. It has also been used to treat such afflictions as decreased circulation and pulmonary hypertension. Researchers have now discovered that Viagra may be useful in treating young males who suffer from cardiac degeneration due to Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The study is being done at the University of Washington, Seattle with the expectation that is will help pre-teen and teenage boys with DMD lead longer lives.

Viagra, which has the chemical name sildenafil citrate, was the first drug approved to treat ED in the United States. It is manufactured by Pfizer Inc. (PFE), which manufactures and markets numerous other drugs including Lipitor for elevated cholesterol, Norvasc for hypertension, Zoloft for central nervous system disorders, Celebrex for osteoarthritis, Zyrtec for allergies, and many others. This is one of the higher paying major pharmaceutical stocks with a yield of 4%. The P/E is 17 and the PEG is 3.21. Latest year over year quarterly earnings from continuing operations were up over 9.4%.

Another player in the ED market is the famous aspirin maker Bayer AG (BAYRY.PK), which produces vardenafil, or more commonly known as Levitra. This German stock, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange, has a P/E of 28 and a PEG of 2.62. It pays an annual dividend of 2.5%.

GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) is also a co-marketer of Levitra. In Italy, GSK markets the drug as it as Vivanza. The company has a PE of 17, and a PEG ratio of 3.88. Another member of the high yield big pharma club, the stock yields 4.4%.

Merck (MRK), after taking over Schering-Plough, became another co-marketer of Levitra, including STAXYN™ [vardenafil HCI], an orally disintegrating tablet version of Levitra. The company has a PE of 9, and a PEG ratio of 1.85. The stock yields 4.1%.

Last but not least is Cialis, with the chemical name tadalafil, that is manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company (LLY). Cialis is sometimes referred to as the weekend pill because its potency lasts for 36 hours. Lilly has a P/E of 9. The company is another high dividend payer with a yield of 5.1%.

If you like high yield big pharmaceutical stocks, you should check out the free list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author owns PFE and BAYRY.PK.

By Stockerblog.com

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