UNITED States drug maker Eli Lilly & Co has launched Cialis, an erectile-dysfunction treatment drug, in pharmacies in China. It aims to catch up with rival products like Viagra in the world's most populous market. But the first thing the firm has to do is an educational campaign for Chinese patients and doctors to prove the effectiveness and safety of Cialis.
 
A new survey conducted by the China Population Communication Center shows that 45 percent of middle-aged couples have been bothered by ED problems but only a third had thought about seeking treatment. More than 24,000 people were interviewed, of whom more than half were male.

But Zhu Jichuan, chief of the Chinese Medical Association's andriatrics branch, noted that the number of Chinese seeking medical treatment for ED has increased and they would like to improve their sex lives through a safe and effective drug.

Cialis, which has been made available in nearly 5,000 drug stores in 10 Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, as a prescription drug, is effective for up to 36 hours. This is longer than rival drugs like Viagra, according to the company.

But sales of Cialis were quite small in China compared with figures elsewhere, partly because sales were confined to hospitals, while Pfizer's Viagra and Bayer AG's Levitra had been already distributed in the drug stores.

Worldwide sales of Cialis last year jumped 30 percent to US$971 million. Industry estimates for China's market for impotence drugs range from 500 million yuan to as much as two billion yuan a year (US$65 million to US$260 million).

Source:佚名