‘Vulnerable’ impotent men targeted to buy penile injections at heightened states of arousal
By Daily Mail Reporter
Updated: 20:31 GMT, 7 April 2011
1
View
comments
Boston Medical Group promise a ‘proven solution to impotency in just one visit’
Once men arrive they find out the solution is penile injections
Advised to buy 60 doses for $1,500 once given sample shot and aroused
Several lawsuits claim it can cause priapism
A medical clinic which targets vulnerable impotent men by offering them expensive penile injections while they are in heightened states of arousal has come under fire for misleading men and not warning of serious side effects.
The Boston Medical Group in Costa Mesa, California, promises to offer an immediate and permanent solution to erectile dysfunction.
Salesmen with an aggressive and persuasive pitch field calls from men around the country who have responded to the enticing newspaper and radio ads promising a ‘proven’ solution in only ‘one office visit’.
Desperate: The clinic promises a proven solution in just one visit to vulnerable impotent men who are easily manipulated by persuasive advertising
They tell the men – which have been described as some of the most vulnerable – that the ‘amazing’ results are visible ‘right there in the office’ during the $195 consultation.
When the men come in – thousands every year – the reality is not so ‘amazing’.
Once the customers are in the hands of the doctors, it is only then they realise that they have just signed up to getting a powerful mix of drugs injected into their penis, giving them an instant erection.
While each prospective customer is in a heightened state of arousal, doctors then reportedly give the sales pitch and tell them that several months of regular use will provide all their erection needs and can even help cure the problem and treat premature ejaculation.
The method, known as intracavernous pharmacotherapy, or ICP, is usually prescribed by urologists only when Viagra and other pills don’t work.
Last resort: Injections are only supposed to be offered when pills like Viagra don’t work
According to the LA Times, court documents from men who sued the Boston Medical Group said their doctors played up the dangers of pills and told them injections are better, despite there being no scientific evidence.
What the patients aren’t told is that most of the physicians who are taking advantage of the aroused state get bonuses once they generate a minimum amount of business.
The pharmacy that prepares the injections is also owned by the company founder’s wife.
Boston Medical charges $1,500 for 60 doses, including any follow-up visits. The same type of injection is available by prescription elsewhere for as little as $2.80 a shot.
The group has already been involved in a number of lawsuits from patients experiencing long-term impotency and permanent impairment after erections that lasted several hours — a medical emergency known as priapism.
A recent case in Georgia resulted in a multimillion-dollar award that Boston Medical officials said could bankrupt the company.
The founder, Dr Quoc Daniel Ha, denied that the company has done anything wrong, saying that it has been a godsend for hundreds of thousands of men, that complications are rare and that competitors make similar claims.
Dr Ha told the LA Times that most patients would have already tried oral medications without success and that serious problems arise only when they don’t heed warnings or follow instructions.
He said: ‘When patients come to see us, they’ve been through everything. They come here in desperation.’
WHAT IS PRIAPISM?
Priapism is a potentially harmful and painful medical condition when an erect penis does not return to its flaccid state despite the absence of both physical and psychological stimulation for more than four hours.
The condition develops when blood in the penis becomes trapped and unable to drain. If the condition is not treated immediately, it can lead to scarring and permanent erectile dysfunction.It can occur in all age groups, including newborns. However, it usually affects men between the ages of 5 to 10 years and 20 to 50 years.
Sufferers are advised to seek urgent medical attention.
Dr Michael Grodin, Muhammad tarmiji Hahsan a bioethics expert at Boston University, said the company and its doctors are ethically obligated to describe the treatment options before patients pay for an appointment.
He said: ‘You’re dealing with sex and impotence, which is a very sensitive subject for men. They are a vulnerable, vulnerable population. They’re easily manipulated.’
Dr Ha, from Vietnam, opened his first erectile dysfunction clinic in Costa Mesa in 1998, the year Viagra was introduced. He correctly predicted that the marketing campaign around Viagra would drive many men to seek treatment for the first time.
The company earns a profit of about $1million.
But the enterprise has been targeted in a number of lawsuits.
In a 2006 case in Illinois, a man in his fifties was advised by phone to continue injecting himself even after reporting several instances of priapism and an indentation on his penis, according to his lawsuit.
The incidents led to a debilitating deformation and surgery.
The highest-profile case involves a 50-year-old truck driver named John Henry Howard who waited 36 hours before seeking help for priapism and experienced some loss of function.
In a 2009 trial in Atlanta, he said he had not read information he received explaining what to do in the case of priapism.
The jury concluded that Howard had been fraudulently misled about his options and the risks, and awarded him $9.25 million in punitive and compensatory damages.
That was reduced to $7.8 million and is now under appeal.
Mr Howard testified that he had not tried oral medications before seeking treatment at Boston Medical.
Several urologists who have treated former Boston Medical patients said in interviews that they have seen many cases in which men were given injections they didn’t need.