COPYRIGHT 1998 Charles W Henderson

A Japanese travel agency is putting together tours to Hawaii for men who want to buy the drug Viagra, which has gotten huge publicity here but has yet to be approved by health officials.

The Flight More travel agency organized its first Viagra tour in April, and has flown 25 men to Hawaii for the drug, company president Mineichi Sudo said today.

Sudo said the agency gets about 10 queries a day and is planning more tours. Sudo said most of the participants are in their 50s, with the youngest so far 45 and the oldest 64. Most of the participants go on the tour alone and are met by a guide in Honolulu.

Sudo said participants need to get blood tests from a Japanese doctor before leaving. The results are faxed to a doctor in Hawaii who then prescribes the drug, which can help men overcome some forms of impotency.

Flight More's cheapest tour - which lasts four days - costs the equivalent of $710 for accommodations and flight. An additional $600 is needed for the consultation, prescription and first bottle of 30 Viagra tablets.

The second bottle is available for $300.

Two bottles are the maximum a participant can bring through Japanese customs, according to Flight More. Any more than that requires a doctor's letter explaining why it is needed.