Viagra is no help against heart failure: Study

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The erectile dysfunction drug commonly known as Viagra is no help against heart failure and should not be taken for it, according to research out on Monday that contradicts previous, smaller studies.

Some early research had suggested the drug, which can increase blood flow to other parts of the body, might offer a benefit to people with diastolic heart failure in which the heart's lower chambers stiffen and cannot pump blood well, causing shortness of breath.

But the randomised study of 216 patients at 26 sites in North America showed that the drug, known as sildenafil, was no better than a placebo at improving exercise capability or clinical symptoms of heart disease.

Also, more patients taking the drug experienced serious adverse events than those who were given a placebo, leading researchers to urge doctors to stop prescribing it as an off-label treatment for people with heart disease.