The FINANCIAL — During the past four years Viagra sales increased from 17,000 to 22,000 packs per year. There are up to 3,000 active users of Viagra in Georgia, Irene Petriashvili, Market Access Manager of Pfizer in the Caucasus, told The FINANCIAL.
Viagra, produced by Pfizer, is just the better promoted trade name of Sildenafil Citrate which is sold in Georgia. The popularity of other drugs treating erectile dysfunction is also increasing.
The major share of Viagra users are males over the age of 50.
Pfizer has operated in Georgia since 1998. Viagra was registered and approved in Georgia in 1999 for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.
“Georgians along with much of the male population globally, have changed their approach towards the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) in general. Of course it may be a more specific issue than the treatment of other diseases, but the population is getting more and more used to the idea that ED is a problem which they can overcome together with a doctor administering appropriate treatment for them,” said Petriashvili.
“Sildenafil Citrate, named Viagra, can be prescribed for completely healthy people as well if they want to become even more sexually active. The medicine must be prescribed by a doctor. Buying it without a prescription is unsafe. Only a doctor can define the dose an individual patient needs,” said Gia Bedoshvili, Sexologist.
Muscular Dystrophy, which affects 1 in 6,000 people, is a disease that causes the progressive breakdown of muscle tissue, including the heart. Duchenne and Becker are the most common types of the disease. Researchers were able to decrease the levels of a molecule that breaks down the tissue by giving dystrophic mice the drug.
Viagra, which is a pharmaceutical drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension, produced a revolution in sexology 13 years ago in Georgia, says sexologist Gia Berorishvili.
For certain reasons, due largely to the prevailing mentality of people in the country, Georgians with psychological complexes or little sexual education still avoid visiting a sexologist for the purpose of helping them improve their sex life. In spite of this Beroshvili says that the number of his male patients is constantly increasing in comparison to female ones. Although Viagra isn’t only for men, he has never prescribed Viagra for a woman due to the low number of female patients he gets.
The average price for Viagra (50 mg) starts from USD 10.
“The price of Viagra in Georgia is the same as in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and other CIS countries and we do not see a direct correlation with sales. The current price seems affordable for the population,” said Petriashvili.
GM Pharmaceuticals started to produce the medicine in Georgia in 2011. It’s sold under the name Sildenafil. Sildenafil is the substance citrate of the medicine itself.
The company registered the name Sildenafil in 2008 only for exports.
“Sales of Sildenafil increased by 18% in 2012 compared with 2011,” an official from GMP told The FINANCIAL.
The average price of Sildenafil is USD 22.
“It is used by males from the age of 25. It has side effects and contraindications. A doctor’s recommendation is needed. However, Georgian men do not pay any attention to this warning,” the source added.
According to the Electronic Medicine Compendium, the recommended dose of Viagra is 50 mg taken as needed approximately one hour before sexual activity. Based on efficacy and tolerability, the dose may be increased to 100 mg or decreased to 25 mg. The maximum recommended dose is 100 mg. The maximum recommended dosing frequency is once per day. If Viagra is taken with food, the onset of activity may be delayed compared to if taken on an empty stomach.
In 2013 Pfizer stated that they will begin selling Viagra directly to patients on its website.
In 3Q of 2013 sales of Viagra in the U.S. reached USD 400 million.
Electronic offers of Viagra are some of the most common spam emails people receive.
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