Drug to compete with Viagra

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Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 | 9:31 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- The government has approved the sale of a second pill to treat erectile dysfunction, setting the stage for a fierce battle with Viagra in the billion-dollar-plus impotence market.

The new drug, Levitra, is in the same family as Viagra. Both work by targeting an enzyme important for maintaining an erection. The Food and Drug Administration approved Levitra Tuesday.

Until now, the blue, diamond-shaped Viagra pills have been the only oral prescription drug available for an estimated 30 million American men who suffer some degree of impotence -- most of whom don't seek medical therapy.

Levitra, made by Bayer AG and marketed by GlaxoSmithKline, recently began selling in Europe.