Firstmed Blog

Viagra
Generic Name: Sildenafil citrate
Manufacturer: Pfizer
Approved By FDA: March 27, 1998
Color: Cooling blue
How Fast Does It Work: The FDA-approved package insert says it takes 30 minutes to 120 minutes, but new studies say it takes less than 15 minutes in most men.
Famous Face: Politician Bob Dole

Levitra
Generic Name: Vardenafil hydrochloride
Manufacturers: GlaxoSmithKline and Bayer
Approved By FDA: Aug. 20, 2003
Color: Orange
How Fast Does It Work: The FDA-approved package insert says it takes 30 minutes to 120 minutes, but new studies say it takes less than 15 minutes in most men.
Famous Face: Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka

Call it getting a rise out of the competition. In its first month of sales, Levitra, the new erectile dysfunction treatment from Bayer and GlaxoSmithKline managed to grab a 50% share of prescriptions in newly diagnosed patients. Sounds impressive, but analysis by Bernstein Research of data from health information provider IMS Health reveals another side to these figures. Viagra maker Pfizer still has well more than 95% of total prescriptions for impotence.

Worse, Bernstein pharmaceuticals analyst Richard Evans sees U.S. sales of only $425 million each annually for Levitra and another erectile dysfunction drug, Cialis, being developed by Eli Lilly and ICOS. Cialis is expected to go on the market early next year. Viagra, which now has U.S. sales of $1 billion, will drop by nearly half.

The new drugs will merely cannibalize the existing market. All three drugs – Viagra, Levitra and Cialis - work by inhibiting the same enzyme, but there are significant advantages to the new entrants. Levitra is a more potent molecule, and it seems to work faster and on a full stomach. (Expect more studies from Pfizer, showing that Viagra works fast and with food, to keep up.)

Levitra also clearly works better in hard-to-treat cases, such as men whose impotence is caused by diabetes. Cialis, on the other hand, clearly works for 36 hours or more, making it an ideal choice for men who are very sexually active. Viagra is still good at treating female sexual dysfunction, a yet-unapproved but potentially lucrative use. Pfizer is five years ahead of the competition in that area.

There’s another advantage for Levitra. Viagra patients have been ordering high-dose pills and splitting them, because all doses come at the same cost. Levitra, a small, hard orange pill, is much more difficult to cut, so at least it won’t have to deal with sales reduced by pill splitting.

Source: Netscape