Viagra sales go limp after flourish
July 17, 2007
AHMEDABAD: The little blue pill, which has enabled many an Indian man to rise to the occasion, seems to be finding it difficult to get it up any further. The sales growth, that is! Viagra and its numerous desi cousins, a sure cure for erectile dysfunction (ED), have shown a minuscule growth of 5.43 per cent in sales.
As per latest ORG figures, the ED segment has clocked a turnover of Rs 121 crore for 12 months ending May 2007, as compared to a total turnover of Rs 115 crore seen during the same period last year. The sildenafil citrate-based drug was launched in the year 2001 and tadalafil was launched in 2003.
The market has grown from Rs 57 crore in 2003 to Rs 122 crore in 2007 — a compounded annual growth rate of 29 per cent. Soon after the launch of the drugs, growth in this segment ranged from 50 to 75 per cent, leading to all major pharma companies hankering after the ED dysfunction segment to produce Viagra clones for big business.
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Medicos attribute sluggish sales to growing apprehensions about sideeffects of the drugs. “The hype around sildenafil citrate has mellowed noticeably in the past two years. People had huge expectations from the drug, thinking it to be a ‘switch-on’ pill. Once they find it does not work like that, the segment, which was buying for fun has reduced, says psychiatrist and sex-therapist Dr Mrugesh Vaishnav.
Industry watchers attribute the slow sales growth of these pills to entry of sub-standard generic players, which have taken the lion’s share of the market. The top three brands now are Manforce (Mankind), Penegra (Zydus) and Caverta (Ranbaxy),which have a market share of 39 per cent, 14.21 per cent and 12.13 per cent respectively.
Medical experts insist that almost 50 per cent Viagra-clones are bought over the counter, rendering people vulnerable to side-effects. “Headache and visual disturbances have affected a lot of people who took the pill without proper guidance,” says psychiatrist Hansal Bhachech.
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