FirstMed Consulting Blog

Pfizer withdrew its request to sell Viagra over the counter in 50 milligram doses following comments it received from the European Medicines Agency, which was weighing the application on a drug.

In a statement the company said it pulled the application “recognizing that there were some concerns regarding the proposed supply of Viagra 50 milligram tablets without a prescription in the European Union.”

Viagra is the first of the three treatments for ED to come off patent in 2012 so Pfizer need a strategy to compensate for the impending fall in revenue. OTC sales are an option because despite a lower price, greater accessibility means greater sales.

Viagra can fulfil some of the criteria that the EU requires of an OTC product. However, question marks remain about whether or not the drug can be considered safe and effective for use in the general population without the supervision of a health professional.

Reading between the lines, the reason Pfizer pulled the application may be because there is no “Pharmacy Medicine” status in Europe – its either Prescription Only Medicines or General Sale

It may re-emerge as an issue in the UK as we do have a ‘P category’ which refers to medicines that can only be obtained from a pharmacy and are sold under the supervision of a pharmacist. But will the pharmaceutical giants want to switch Viagra to OTC in the UK alone– the market may not be big enough……

Sexuality has a lot to do with our quality of life and our happiness. This must what Mayor Marcelo Ebrard had in mind when he decided that Mexico City would give out free Viagra and other impotence drugs to men 70 and older.

The drugs will will be distributed at three centers in the city that specialise in sexual health for the elderly from December 1st.

City Health Secretary Armando Ahued insists that the men will get medical examinations before receiving the pills. Only then will the government will start handing out doses of one or two Viagra, Levitra or Cialis pills.

Ahued says an estimated 112,000 men 70 or older live in the Federal District, which has a population of 8.7 million.