9 May 2013Patents

Pfizer sells Viagra online to curb counterfeit trade

Pfizer has announced it will sell its erectile dysfunction pill Viagra online in an effort to counter the rising threat of bogus online pharmacies.

The home delivery service will allow those with a valid prescription to buy their medication, priced at $25 a pill, from a trusted outlet.

A recent review by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) found that just 3 percent of websites selling prescription drugs are legitimate pharmacies, with up to half offering medications from overseas, or drugs that have not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

An NABP and Pfizer-sponsored national survey conducted by Harris Interactive in 2011 found that 82 percent of men believe it is difficult to determine the legitimacy of online pharmacies.

Pfizer’s global security team checked the top 22 websites after searching “buy Viagra” and chemically analysed the pills advertised as Viagra on the outlets. About 80 percent of the pills were counterfeit. Of the fake pills containing the active ingredient sildenafil citrate, the amount was between 30 and 50 percent of what was advertised.

“We have seen counterfeit medicines manufactured in filthy and deplorable conditions, yet some people do not realise the risks that this poses to their health and safety, our top priority,” said Pfizer global security vice president Matthew Bassiur.

“Counterfeit medicines often contain the wrong or incorrect levels of active ingredient, as well as potentially dangerous contaminants. Samples of counterfeit Viagra tested by our labs have contained pesticides, wallboard, commercial paint and printer ink. These findings motivate us to continue our aggressive global efforts to stop those who prey on unsuspecting patients.”

Steven Lee, partner at Kenyon & Kenyon LLP in New York, said: “I presume that Pfizer have decided that the only way they’re going to defeat the illegitimate online pharmacists is to do a better job of online marketing themselves.”

He added that Pfizer has to deal with the issue of counterfeit drugs being sold in the regular distribution chain to pharmacies and patients as well.

“Pfizer and many other drug companies have been adding counterfeit protection to drug labels for years, putting in holographic designs to track where shipments are coming from, and developing better, uncopyable packaging, but that doesn’t address the issue with the online [illegitimate] pharmacies,” he said.

Viagra was the first oral erectile dysfunction medication and was approved by the FDA in 1998. It was originally studied for use in patients with hypertension and angina.

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