NEW YORK (AP) – Drugmaker Pfizer Inc. says the European commission has approved treating children with its medicine for a rare, deadly lung condition – a drug better known as Viagra.

The drug, Revatio, was approved in Europe about six years ago for treating adults with what’s called pulmonary arterial hypertension, or high blood pressure in lung arteries. Now it can be given to children aged 1 to 17.

The medicine is also known as Viagra, the erectile dysfunction drug that quickly became a blockbuster when it was approved in 1998.

A study found the drug, known chemically as sildenafil citrate, reduced blood pressure in lung arteries and helped children breathe and function better.

It’s approved for adults with the lung condition in more than 50 countries.

Date: May 5, 2011
Source: Associated Press