GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Bayer AG won U.S. approval on 19th August, 2003 to sell impotence drug Levitra, the first rival to the popular Viagra. The announcement, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, means that Levitra, an orange pill, will give men an alternative to Pfizer Inc.'s famous diamond-shaped blue pill Viagra, the drug that transformed impotence treatment after its 1998 debut as the first oral therapy for the impotence.

Until now, the blue, diamond-shaped Viagra pills have been the only oral prescription drug available for an estimated 30 million American men who suffer some degree of impotence - most of whom don't seek medical therapy. It is estimated that more than half of all men over the age of 40 are affected by the disorder to some degree. Only about 10 percent or 15 percent of men with the problem are being treated, however. Experts anticipate that Levitra (scientifically known as vardenafil) will be a natural for men who have not benefited from Viagra.

Levitra seems to work faster than Viagra, with a "window of opportunity" of 16 minutes to five hours vs. the average one to four hours that are indicated on Viagra's package insert and produces fewer side effects. "Levitra offers a reliable, effective, first-line treatment for erectile dysfunction for a broad range of patients, including those who have a challenging-to-treat condition," said Andrew Witty, President, Europe, and GlaxoSmithKline. "As a result, we believe that Levitra offers the opportunity for increased satisfaction for many more men," he concluded.

LEVITRA launch was successfully staged in the major markets of United Kingdom in the month of March, 2003. Levitra (vardenafil) orange pill works fast and is highly potent. GSK claims that Levitra is superior to Viagra - studies showed that most Levitra takers were able to have satisfying sex within 16 minutes, compared with a wait of up to an hour for Viagra users. The name Levitra was derived from "le", the French masculine pronoun, and "vita", Latin for life.

Levitra works by blocking an enzyme known as PDE-5, which affects the blood flow to the penis. Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-%) is the predominate enzyme found in human penile erectile tissue and is associated with erections. PDE-5 inhibitors such as Levitra typically work by blocking this enzyme to enhance or prolong the erectile process.

In trials involving 1,020 men with erectile dysfunction who took the drug for one year, the average success rate in maintaining erections improved to 87 percent from 14 percent with the 10 mg dose and to 86 percent from 16 percent with the 20 mg dose.