Viagra Competition Heats up
Viagra competition is rising with a said-faster-acting drug being evaluated for use in Australia and the U.S., and the first topical treatment being unveiled in Hong Kong.
The drug, Uprima, already in use in Europe to treat impotence. Uprima acts on brain chemicals allowing it to act within 10 to 20 minutes, 40 minutes faster than Viagra, which opens blood vessels, according to Chris Love, chair of the symposium and consultant urologist at the Monash Medical Centre. The drug had been around for many years as a treatment for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. Uprima would not replace Viagra but would add to the range of treatments for impotence including injections and surgery, according to Dr. Love, a practicing urologist.
The new medicated cream, branded “Befar,” promises a safer and also quicker treatment for impotence than Viagra. After quietly selling the drug in China since last July, NexMed, a small biotechnology company based in New Jersey says it is ready to bring the medicated cream to the rest of Asia, and eventually the U.S. Befar’s active ingredient is Alprox-TD. The alprostadil derivative has been used to treat erectile dysfunction for several years around the world, but until now has been administered via injection directly into the dysfunctional part.
Moderator Comment: How can retailers successfully
incorporate “sensitive subject” products into their whole health programs?
Before Scanner and others give us a difficult time, sales
for erectile dysfunction drugs are projected to reach approximately $5 billion
in annual sales by 2005. With an aging population intent on maintaining its
youthful vigor, products that aid and enhance sexual activity will become more
important to bottom line retail performance. [George
Anderson – Moderator]