TORONTO LEADS IN THE VIAGRA RACE

Clinics offering fast deliveries of male sex drug

OTTAWA - Men looking for a lift are making Toronto the Viagra capital of Canada.

Two Toronto clinics and one in Mississauga, advertising ``Sex for Life,''
are prescribing the new wonder drug for impotency to thousands of men.

They offer complete privacy and speedy door-to-door delivery.

A private company is behind the Canadian Men's Clinic Ltd., which has also
opened offices in Ottawa and Vancouver.

They're capitalizing on the Viagra craze in a big way, even though Health
Canada has not yet approved the drug.

``It's very busy. There is a huge demand for this,'' clinic spokesperson
Jody Bresgi said in an interview. ``We've seen thousands and thousands of
patients. We don't have an exact count.''

All men have to do is submit to an OHIP-covered medical checkup and pay a
$225 fee for ``counselling.'' The prescription is processed the same day
through a U.S.-based pharmacy and shipped to their door within a week to 10
days.

Once Viagra is prescribed, men can drive to an American pharmacy of their
choice and pick it up, or arrange their own shipping.

The clinics offer prescriptions varying from one pill for those who simply
want a test drive, to a maximum of 100. Prescriptions can be refilled. The
cost averages between $10 and $12 (U.S.) per pill, including shipping
costs.

The company has been in business for two years, dealing with premature
ejaculation, low sex drive and other men's health problems.

But it's only since Viagra was approved in the U.S. to address the erectile
dysfunction issue that business started booming.

``Viagra is a breakthrough medication and people have been waiting a long
time for it,'' Bresgi said. ``There has been a dramatic increase in
awareness and people calling and that's great.''

In newspaper ads, the company offers ``the latest and most up to date
medication for those unable to obtain or sustain an erection.''

The ads show a drawing of a pill with the words ``oral medication'' written
on it. Bresgi said Canadian law forbids her company from advertising the
word Viagra.

The company's ads say it offers advice from ``world renowned urologists and
sexologists'' available to men aged 18 to 90.

It's also serious about confidentiality. Patient records are guarded and
men who visit the clinic are escorted to private waiting rooms so they
don't see other patients.

Health Canada spokesperson Stephen Jeffrey said there's nothing illegal
about the growing Viagra sales, even though the blue pills haven't been
approved here yet.

``Doctors can order the prescription, but the patient has to order it
through a U.S. pharmacy for personal use only,'' Jeffrey said. It seems the
clinics can arrange delivery, as long as the client pays for it, he added.

Jim Maclean, a spokesperson for the Ontario College of Physicians and
Surgeons, said the men's clinics approached the college last May seeking
advice about the Viagra plans.

``We don't think it's appropriate for physicians to prescribe Viagra
because it isn't approved in Canada yet, but if patients do get a
prescription there's nothing we can do about them bringing it into
Canada,'' he said.

Bresgi said the clinic's doctors ``don't prescribe Viagra lightly. Patients
go through a thorough medical examination to ensure they qualify.''

``Our doctors specialize. It's all they do day in and day out. There's an
enormous amount of expertise they bring to the table.''

The pill that has become a symbol of virility in the U.S. will undergo a
second round of testing this fall necessary for Canadian approval.
Cross-country trials of Viagra will be conducted from the Lawson Research
Institute, in London, Ont., beginning in September.

Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)