Viagra Patent Challenged

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Pfizer, the American drug company that holds the patent to Viagra, a popular impotence drug, was recently challenged in court by Apotex Inc. in an attempt to annul the Viagra patent. This is not the first time the pharmaceutical giant has had to fight for the right to keep Viagra for themselves, a similar court case occurred in Beijing in 2004.

Viagra is without a doubt, the most well-known impotence treatment on the market. It is also one of just three such drugs approved by the FDA, the other two being Cialis and Levitra. All three drugs treat erectile dysfunction in a similar manner, aiding the flow of blood to the penis, but with slightly different results. Cialis tends to be the fastest working and lasts longer than Viagra or Levitra.

In Toronto, the smaller drug company of Apotex Inc. took Pfizer to court in an attempt to annul the Viagra patent, which would make the drug formula available to all potential producers. Though Apotex lost the case, they plan to appeal. According to spokesman Elie Betito, the company simply wants to provide affordable medications to the general public. They want to produce a low cost version of Viagra that anyone could afford, a proposal that could potentially damage Pfizer.

Why the big fuss over the Viagra patent? The companies challenging Pfizer want to make a generic version of the drug that treats erectile dysfunction and impotence. This would allow them to sell essentially the same pill for a far lower price, undercutting Pfizer, something the company obviously cannot allow if they wish to continue in the business of treating erectile dysfunction, as Viagra makes up 6% of their human drug sales. With Cialis and Levitra becoming more popular, the pharmaceutical company can???t afford to lose their bestselling impotence treatment, having it replicated by generic brands.

While Apotex plans to continue with their appeals and attempts to overturn the patent on Viagra, chances are they will lose again and the ???people??s Viagra??? will not be mass produced as they hope, unless they choose another formula to emulate. The smaller company could technically produce a similar, if not identical, pill for impotence, since Pfizer no longer holds the patent on its active ingredient. Anyone can use the same ingredient, as long as they change the formula. In fact, other impotence drugs have been created with it, including another form of Viagra called Revatio, also marketed by Pfizer.

Pfizer lost its 1993 patent on sildenafil citrate, the active ingredient in Viagra, back in 2000, but retains the patent to the actual molecular structure of their little blue pill. The court case was lost due to the fact that the use of sildenafil citrate was based on information and reports that were available to the public and the patent was deemed repressive to other companies trying to do further research into erectile dysfunction. Since anyone could have assumed that sildenafil citrate would work as an erectile enhancer, the judge ruled against the large pharmaceutical. The company lost an appeal to regain the patent to sildenafil citrate in 2002.

Despite a rocky history of court cases, lost patents and further challenges, Viagra has enjoyed increasing popularity over the years. The drug???s name is synonymous with impotence treatment and the phrase ???little blue pill??? is instantly recognized by most American adults. It consistently outsells its competitors, Cialis and Levitra, and has even been used in conjunction with other illegal drugs such as ecstasy to create a new recreational sex drug.

Introduced in 1998, Viagra was originally tested as a treatment for high blood pressure and angina, a heart disease. While it proved to be fairly ineffective at treating either disorder, scientists discovered that the drug drastically enhanced penile arousal and it was decided that it would be marketed as a treatment for erectile dysfunction. The decision was a successful one, with Viagra bringing in over one billion dollars in just three years.

The drug works by releasing nitrous oxide which allows for the relaxation of the smooth muscles penis, enhancing the flow of blood to the penis. While this does help create a lasting erection, Viagra only works in conjunction with sexual stimulation. It enhances the body???s natural ability to become aroused.

Pfizer???s Viagra patent expires in 2014, when the whole patent situation will no doubt be revisited, but until then, the pharmaceutical company should be able to defend its position as sole producer of this valuable treatment for erectile dysfunction. Viagra continues to enjoy rampant popularity and will most likely continue to do so until the patent expires in less than a decade.

D. Jones is former patient of erectile dysfunction and a registered user of The Online Clinic. For more information on how to take or buy Viagra, he recommends you to have a free online sexual erectile dysfunction consultation at http://www.theonlineclinic.co.uk.

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