Dr David Brown says erectile dysfunction drug, subject of a BBC drama, could have been scrapped if a miner hadn’t spoken out
It was the ultimate serendipitous discovery: a failed heart medication that became a multibillion-dollar erectile dysfunction drug. But the blockbuster story of Viagra could have ended differently were it not for the frankness of the Welsh miners who took part in a clinical trial just before the drug was due to be scrapped, according to Viagra’s co-inventor.
Speaking before the screening of Men Up, a new BBC drama, executive produced by Russell T Davies, about the ordinary middle-aged Welsh men who took part in early trials, Dr David Brown said the drug’s unexpected side-effect was almost overlooked.
About Author
More Stories
Trying to get rid of noisy, food-stealing gulls is missing the point – it’s humans who are the pests | Sophie Pavelle
Elon Musk shows he still has the White House’s ear on Trump’s Middle East trip
52 tiny annoying problems, solved! (Because when you can’t control the big stuff, start small)