The National Institution of Health has put a halt to a trial of Viagra that was intended to see whether the drug could be used to treat pulmonary hypertension in patients with sickle cell disease.

The trial was stopped because its side effects put patients with sickle cell disease at great risk of causing serious medical problems.

The NIH should be applauded on two fronts; first, its effort to find new ways to use drugs already available is commendable because they are thinking outside of the box with materials that are already at hand. Secondly, the NIH is commended on its ability to stop a trial when results are going awry. Too often it seems like trials are pushed beyond the limits of common sense and evidence based medicine.

At AllMed, evidence-based and peer reviewed medicine is our game. We provide payers and hospitals with the best treatments and practices based on our own in-house doctors and many doctors nationwide.

To read the full brief about the trial, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/health/29brfs-VIAGRATRIALI_BRF.html?_r=1&ref=health