Rules on Viagra sales still confusing: Pharmacies<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Many drugstores and pharmacies in Jakarta are
\nstill selling the banned high-dosage Viagra that can cure
\nerectile dysfunction because they have not been informed about
\nthe requirements for marketing the magic blue pills.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest pharmacies in Central Jakarta has sold the
\n100-milligram Viagra pills for months. A pharmacist, who declined
\nto be named, claimed unfamiliarity with the government regulation
\nthat only allows 25-milligram and 50-milligram Viagra pills to be
\nsold in the country.<\/p>\n
\"We have never had any complaints about the drugs, and most
\npeople prefer the high-dosage pills like the ones we sell,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
She said the dispensary at her workplace sold between one to
\ntwo bottles, each containing 30 pills, per month. Each pill sells
\nfor Rp 125,000 (US$18).<\/p>\n
Following months of public debate on the controversial sales
\nof Viagra, believed to be able to cure impotence, the government
\nallowed PT Pfizer Indonesia Tbk. last Friday to launch U.S.-made
\nViagra pills of medium dosage (up to 50 milligrams).<\/p>\n
Under government regulation, sales of Viagra must be
\nrestricted to consumers who do not have heart problems. Only
\nauthorized specialists who have undergone a one-day training
\ncourse are allowed to prescribe the pills.<\/p>\n
Pharmacies selling Viagra are required to report to the local
\nhealth ministry's office the names of those ordering the script
\nand doctors who prescribed the pills.<\/p>\n
Another well-known pharmacy in South Jakarta also said it had
\nnever heard of the Viagra launch or been informed about the legal
\nprocedure for Viagra sales.<\/p>\n
In downtown Glodok, where people can easily obtain a large
\nvariety of modern and traditional Chinese medicines, Viagra pills
\nare sold for between Rp 60,000 and Rp 90,000 each.<\/p>\n
Most drugstore owners said they were ignorant of the legal
\nprocedure for sales and were unaware that high doses of Viagra
\ncould have unwanted side effects, even impairing the user's
\nhealth.<\/p>\n
Due to the pill's high cost, most pharmacies sell the pill in
\nsingle doses, and seldom give instructions to customers about
\npossible side effects.<\/p>\n
The restriction imposed by the government on sales of high-
\ndosage Viagra followed foreign media reports last year of deaths
\nresulting from Viagra use. Last August, a report said random use
\nof Viagra had claimed the lives of 69 Americans in five months.<\/p>\n
Since its April 1997 launch in the United States, Viagra is
\nnow available in more than 70 countries. Several Asian countries
\nban Viagra sales for unclear reasons. (04)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rules-on-viagra-sales-still-confusing-pharmacies-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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