Health economics and sexual dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction (ED) and the results of its treatment are two separate issues, centering on how outcomes of the disorder affect the economy and t he affect the impact its treatment has on quality of life. The treatment of ED has been an $800-million-a-year business in the United States alone. Th e recent introduction of the drug sildenafil raises the possibility that re venues from its sale could reap billions of dollars for the pharmaceutical industry, with much of that cost being borne by the managed care industry. The introduction of sildenafil raises new cost-effectiveness concerns about all available treatment options. Both the National Institutes of Health an d the American Urological Association have identified the need for better s tudies whose outcomes could be used to analyze the problem of ED.