Indianapolis: New Viagra competitor said to be longer-lasting

A yet-to-be-approved impotence drug developed by Eli Lilly and Co. and Icos Corp. appears to be longer-lasting than Viagra, the companies said, citing a study presented Monday at a medical conference.

Patients in the study reported success in achieving erections over a period of 24 to 36 hours after taking a 20-milligram pill of Cialis, said Indianapolis-based Lilly and Bothell, Wash.-based Icos on Saturday.

The study did not compare Cialis’ effects directly with those of Viagra, the $1.2 billion-a-year drug for erectile dysfunction that Pfizer Inc. introduced in 1998. Other studies have put the duration of Viagra’s effects in the eight-to-12-hour range.

Results of the Cialis study were presented on Monday at the American Urological Assn. conference in Orlando, Fla.

Denver: Two amusement parks report weekend deaths

A man fell to his death Monday after standing up on an attraction at a Six Flags amusement park, authorities said.

The death came one day after a worker at Six Flags Over Georgia was killed when he wandered into the path of an upside-down roller coaster and was struck in the head by a passenger’s dangling legs.

The death of the 28-year-old killed in Denver’s Six Flags Elitch Gardens, whose name was not released, was being investigated as accidental, officials said.

Officials at Six Flags Over Georgia were unsure how or why 58-year-old foreman Samuel Milton Guyton walked into the locked, no-access area on “Batman, The Ride” roller coaster on Sunday.

The ride was deemed safe for passengers and reopened Monday.

Las Vegas: Casino workers, hotels agree to new contract

Unions representing culinary workers and bartenders agreed to a five-year deal Monday with hotel-casino giant MGM Mirage Inc., likely averting a weekend strike on the Strip.

Negotiators also reached deals in the last week with Mandalay Resort Group, Park Place Entertainment, Harrah’s Entertainment and the Tropicana.

The agreements cover about 35,000 of the 47,000 workers represented by Culinary Local 226 and Bartenders Local 165.

A June 1 strike is still possible, however, pending the outcome of negotiations with smaller Strip and downtown Las Vegas properties.

The five contracts have provisions specific to individual properties. However, each calls for $3.23 1/2-per-hour increases in wages and benefits over five years.

The last casino workers’ strike, in 1984, lasted 67 days and was marked by violence.