``Sure, it is effective in removing erectile dysfunction (impotence) but in no way does it improve sexual performance in healthy people,'' said Professor Ranjit Roy Chaudhury, President, Delhi Medical Council. Also, if the will is not there, the pill will not work, as Viagra cannot cause sexual arousal or increase sexuality either. For the same reasons, it will not increase instances of rape, as is feared.

Along with Dr Roy Chaudhury, putting the Viagra bogey rest were Dr Mahinder C. Watsa, President, Council of Sex Education and Parenthood, Mumbai, and Dr J. S. Bapna, Director, Institute of Behavioral & Allied Sciences, Mumbai. All three stressed the importance of undergoing a medical examination before buying a tablet, more so if the person was diabetic, obese, over 65 or suffered from a heart, liver or kidney disorder.

The pill can also play havoc if taken by those on anti-hypertensives, anti-convulsants, diuretics, depressants or those with a spinal injury and gastric ulcers. Taking Viagra along with Erythromycin is another no-no, because it doubles the potency, which can be harmful.

``But fear of side-effects is no reason to keep the drug away from the Indian market as no drug is completely safe,'' pointed out Watsa. Viagra is anyway available in the black market for Rs 600, though its four Indian versions cost half the amount. It's advisable to go for 50 mg doses.

Reeling off the reasons for poor sexual performances, Watsa said that no amount of Viagra could save a marriage. ``Counselling is the tool needed more than Viagra because lack of foreplay and fear of an unwanted pregnancy are often the reason why women often go off sex,'' he explained, giving the audience his time-tested `T Mantra': Trust, Time, Talk and Touch.

Counselling is equally important for men over 40, as biological changes often have them scurrying for Viagra. ``After 40, it's natural to take longer to reach erection and sustain it, so people should not see it is as a sign of impotence,'' says Watsa. Agrees Bapna, pointing out that premature ejaculation is as common as the common cold. ``Over 30 million people are impotent, with one in 20 above 40 years and one in four above 65 suffering from it,'' he says. And it is for these people that Viagra, a by-product of a treatment for angina, comes handy, since it is effective for about an hour after intake. Though it should be bought only on prescription -- something that experience shows cannot be enforced in India -- the bottomline remains that any drug that has been widely-tested should be available in India.