DOCTORS are saving the lives of desperately ill newborn babies by giving them the controversial drug Viagra.
Consultants at Yorkhill Children's Hospital in Glasgow are using the anti-impotence drug as a life-saving treatment for children suffering from pulmonary hypertension, a cause of so-called "blue baby" syndrome which affects the blood flow to the lung
s.
Doctors claim the drug, which is normally used to treat sexual dysfunction in adult men, has produced astonishing results in the youngsters by relieving their potentially fatal condition.
And they now hope that Viagra, also known as sildenafil, can be used to treat the hundreds of newborn babies in Scotland who suffer the illness every year.
But the use of an adult drug in babies has sparked concern from some in the medical community, who say it is still an experimental treatment.
Last night, officials at NHS Greater Glasgow confirmed that "a small number" of infants suffering from pulmonary hypertension had been given the drug at Yorkhill Hospital while being closely monitored by medical staff.
A spokeswoman said: "Sildenafil has been given to a small, selected group of infants under very controlled conditions. They have been subjected to careful supervision."
An insider added: "It is a difficult decision to give such young children a drug like Viagra when it is normally used to treat erectile problems in adults.
"But there have been trials elsewhere that have shown it can be very effective in treating this condition and so doctors chose to use it."
Pulmonary hypertension in young children is normally treated using nitric oxide gas which dilates the blood vessels leading to the lungs.
But doctors have found Viagra, which increases blood flow, is highly effective at treating the lung disease in children.
Recent trials using the drug in the United States have shown that children may even be able to stop taking the pills after a couple of years, as the drug helps to relax the blood vessels permanently.
Doctors gave the drug to the youngsters by crushing the pills and dissolving them in syrup.
Clinical trials using Viagra in adults suffering from pulmonary hypertension have been carried out at the Western Infirmary in Glasgow, with promising results.
But Professor Andrew Peacock, who conducted the trials there, was surprised that infants in Scotland had been given the drug.
He added: "Viagra was originally developed as an anti-angina drug but was found to treat erectile dysfunction in men.
"The enzyme it acts on in the penis is also found in the lungs so it can be used to treat pulmonary hypertension.
"What is becoming clear is that its uses are not just restricted to this, and Viagra may help a great many more people."
But use of the drug in babies has provoked a mixed reaction. Three years ago the first use of Viagra in infants was reported by doctors in India, sparking a furious row about the possible long-term effects of using it on young children without proper testing.
And Professor David Webb, a clinical pharmacologist at Edinburgh University, warned the drug must be used carefully in such young patients.
He said: "There have been some very good clinical trials that show growing evidence that Viagra works in both adults and children.
"But as doctors we must be very cautious about using drugs before they have been approved, by weighing up the benefits against the risks to the patients.
"It is important that the patient, or the patient's parents in the case of children, are aware they are receiving an experimental treatment."
Pulmonary hypertension is a rare disorder in adults but it affects around 100 children every year in Scotland.
The full article contains 642 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
