From the Washington Post:

An AIDS organization sued Pfizer Inc. on Monday over ads the group says encourage use of Viagra as a party drug. The group said recreational use of the drug furthers the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, calls Pfizer’s ads for the impotence drug false and misleading….
The nonprofit group alleges the marketing of Viagra has fostered an increase in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Studies have found the drug is used _ illegally _ in conjunction with crystal methamphetamine to form a party drug “cocktail.”…
The advertisements in question featured younger-looking men than did earlier Viagra ads that used retired Sen. Bob Dole, then in his 70s, as a pitchman. Myers said the newer ads imply the drug is meant to enhance the sexual experience and not to treat a medical condition.

Pfizer has denied that it promotes recreational use of Viagra. The lawsuit seeks to halt the advertisements and force Pfizer to “undertake a public information campaign on the dangers of misusing and abusing the prescription drug.Furthermore, it seeks an unspecified amount to cover an increase in treatment costs borne by the nonprofit group, which runs free treatment clinics.” For what it’s worth, we’re all for cutting back on those Viagra ads. They’re so…lame. —MEGHANN MARCO

AIDS Group Sues Pfizer Over Viagra Ads [Washington Post]

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