• Price war imminent in pharma industry
• Nigerians warned against fake versions (http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/ViagraNEW.jpg) (http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/ViagraNEW.jpg)
With the expiration of Pfizer's patent on Viagra, the road is now clear for other pharmaceutical companies to manufacture their own version of the blue pill for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) – inability to develop and maintain an erection for satisfactory intercourseual intercourse
It is expected that the development will make the drug more affordable though Nigerians have been warned against the circulation of fake versions now that the drug could be produced and sold by any pharmaceutical company.
Viagra, which contains an active ingredient called sildenafil citrate, was launched worldwide in 1998 by Pfizer, the world's biggest pharmaceutical company which has also held the exclusive right (known as patent) to market the drug. Now that the patent has expired, other pharmaceutical companies will be able to market their own versions of sildenafil citrate.
Already, two companies the US medical giant Actavis and Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva have launched their own versions following news that Pfizers' patent expired in 11 European countries, including Ireland and the UK.
It is however feared that many of the new versions of Viagra may end up in the Nigerian market especially, given their potential low costs. Currently, the Pfizer version has been the only registered brand in Nigeria but National Mirror investigation has revealed that there are many versions of the brand, many from doubtful sources, with prizes ranging between N500, N1000 and N7,000 for a pack of four tablets.
Viagra has been a money spinner for the company since it became the first oral treatment ever to be licensed for ED, with sales worth almost £1.5 billion a year. The drug has not only fetched the company a Nobel Prize but also popularised erectile dysfunction as a medical condition.
Worldwide, millions of men suffer from ED. According to the US National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), approximately 22 out of every 1000 men in the United States sought medical attention for ED in 1999. While it is believed that up to 30 million men suffer from ED in the US, doctors in Nigeria believe that the incidence rate may not be too far from that of the US though few men will seek medical attention here.
Formerly called impotence, erectile dysfunction was once a taboo subject. It was considered a psychological issue or a natural consequence of growing older. These attitudes have changed in recent years especially with the discovery Viagra. It's now known that erectile dysfunction is more often caused by physical problems than by psychological ones, and that many men have normal erections into their 80s.
Experts say erection begins with sensory or mental stimulation, or both. Impulses from the brain and local nerves cause the muscles of the penis, known as corpora cavernosa, to relax, allowing blood to flow in and fill the spaces. When these muscles contract to stop the inflow of blood and open outflow channels, erection is reversed
Since an erection requires a precise sequence of events, ED can occur when any of the events is disrupted; according to the experts The sequence includes nerve impulses in the brain, spinal column, and area around the penis, and response in muscles, fibrous tissues, veins, and arteries in and near the corpora cavernosa. Damage to nerves, arteries, smooth muscles, and fibrous tissues, often as a result of disease, is the most common cause of ED. Diseases — such as diabetes, kidney disease, chronic alcoholism, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, vascular disease, and neurologic disease—account for about 70 percent of ED cases. Between 35 and 50 percent of men with diabetes experience ED.
Lifestyle choices that contribute to heart disease and vascular problems also raise the risk of erectile dysfunction. Smoking, being overweight, and avoiding exercise are possible causes of ED. Also, surgery (especially radical prostate and bladder surgery for cancer) can injure nerves and arteries near the penis, causing ED. Injury to the penis, spinal cord, prostate, bladder, and pelvis can lead to ED by harming nerves, smooth muscles, arteries, and fibrous tissues of the corpora cavernosa.
In addition, many common medicines—blood pressure drugs, antihistamines, antidepressants, tranquilizers, appetite suppressants, and cimetidine (an ulcer drug) — can produce ED as a side effect. Experts also believe that psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, guilt, depression, low self-esteem, and fear of intercourseual failure cause 10 to 20 percent of ED cases. Men with a physical cause for ED frequently experience the same sort of psychological reactions (stress, anxiety, guilt, and depression). Other possible causes are smoking, which affects blood flow in veins and arteries, and hormonal abnormalities, such as not enough testosterone.
National Mirror