[Current & Culture] Is Viagra a Superhero?

Recently, news about Viagra has captured the attention of people who fear dementia. Although generic versions have been allowed for a long time and numerous types of the drug are on the market, Viagra is still considered the epitome of erectile dysfunction treatment. A study has been published showing that Viagra is effective in preventing the onset of Alzheimer's disease. The question is how effective it is. What would you estimate? 5%? 10%? Surprisingly, the figure was close to 70%.

Those interested can easily find news articles by searching for 'Viagra dementia' and read them directly. To summarize briefly: researchers at the Genomic Medicine Institute of the Cleveland Clinic in the United States analyzed six years of medical records of over 7 million Americans. They found that users of sildenafil, the main ingredient in Viagra, had a 69% lower risk of developing Alzheimer's dementia compared to non-users. Of course, the limitations of the study are clear. It is only an estimation based on data without clinical trials. Still, it was published in a fairly credible academic journal and attracted attention, with clinical trials planned to follow. If these effects are proven in clinical trials and developed into a drug, Viagra will be recorded in history as a superhero that saved not only below the belt but also above the tie.

In South Korea, the route of new drug development using big data like this is fundamentally blocked. Considering that Korea's medical data is among the world's best in terms of volume and systematic organization, this is ironic. There is much opposition because it violates the Personal Information Protection Act and there is a high risk that some large corporations might monopolize the benefits. It would be great if some countermeasures could be found to open the way to use medical information big data. The public benefits that can be gained through this are enormous, and if Korea is excluded from this kind of new drug development competition, the losses would also be huge.

As many know, Viagra as an erectile dysfunction treatment was also created based on the side effects of prostate medication. Thinking that a dementia prevention drug might be developed from the side effects of Viagra, which itself was created from side effects, somehow makes my heart swell and feel like I am awakening to a truth of life. For example, perhaps our lives are the result of many side effects combined? Few people have everything go exactly as intended. Most people regret and despair over unintended outcomes. However, looking back, failures and side effects often turn out to be new opportunities. Of course, this only applies to those who seize the opportunity and do not miss it. Like the researchers who did not overlook the erectile side effect of the prostate medication.

Some readers might wonder why the story about Viagra suddenly takes a moralistic turn. Yes, it is an intentional abrupt shift. It is the limitation of this middle-aged author who cannot escape the obsession that newspaper columns must be somewhat instructive. It would be good to finish by recommending a movie.

'Love & Drugs.' If you hear it is a movie about a Viagra salesman as the main character, it might sound somewhat obscene, but it is not at all. Despite some occasionally provocative scenes, this movie is close to a pure love story. It is a movie that has never been recommended and then criticized, so watch it with confidence. One amazing fact: two core themes of this movie, which came out over 10 years ago, are Viagra and dementia (Parkinson's disease), which seemed completely unrelated at the time! Did the director predict another side effect of Viagra that would shake the world 10 years later, or is it an incredible coincidence?

Lee Jae-ik, Novelist