COMPANIES RUSH TO CASH IN ON VIAGRAMANIA.

Byline: Linda A. Johnson Associated Press 

Entrepreneurs peddling audio tapes, herbal remedies, even sunglasses, are trying to make the most of the flimsiest links to Viagra to make a buck off the impotence pill craze.

Las Vegas-based BluBlocker Corp. says its BluBlocker Viagra shades help mask the blue tinge Viagra adds to some users' vision.

``This is crass commercialism,'' conceded BluBlocker Chairman Joseph Sugarman. ``I just couldn't resist the opportunity to tie in with that product.''

While some companies might be reaching a little far to take advantage of Viagra, others say they're merely acknowledging a link consumers have already made.

For Bradley Pharmaceuticals, newly sexually active men have created a new batch of customers for its vaginal lubricant. Bradley's pitch: ``What Viagra does for him, Lubrin does for her.''

Bradley executives say they noticed a jump in sales of their Lubrin vaginal suppositories. They credited Viagra, or more precisely, an increase in the number of aging women bothered by vaginal dryness who are dealing with reinvigorated Viagra users.

Marketing Vice President Gene Goldberg hopes to ride the trend by increasing Lubrin production dramatically and introducing a new liquid lubricant months ahead of schedule - linking the product to the impotence pill in ads.

Some companies are clearly flouting trademark laws, and Pfizer is fighting back.

``We expect that there will be copycats or attempts at coattail marketing,'' said Andy McCormick, spokesman for Viagra's maker, Pfizer Inc. of New York. ``When they step over the line in terms of the law, we will step in.''

That's already happened in three cases, Nels Lippert, an attorney for Pfizer, said Tuesday.

Sugarman said he'll probably give away the 200 BluBlockers already made, after Pfizer attorneys threatened a lawsuit ``that kind of dampened our enthusiasm.''

Two other companies have run afoul of Pfizer attorneys since Viagra was approved for sale on March 27.

Both sell herbal supplements over the Internet and were promoting sexual potency products with extremely similar names: Vaegra and Viagro.

``They've capitulated,'' after Pfizer filed trademark infringement suits, Lippert said.

Other Viagra-related ventures aren't blocked by trademark laws, though.

At least three books on Viagra and impotence treatment are on the market, including one by New York internist Dr. Steven Lamm, ``The Virility Solution.''

Some herbal supplement makers are promoting products with names such as NuMan and Stamina as natural alternatives to the Pfizer medication.