Viagra sales boom despite being illegal<\/p>\n
By Stevie Emilia and Bruce Emond<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Although the government has yet to rule on
\nViagra's legality here, some local businesspeople have been
\nmaking a lot of money from the drug without fear of possible
\nlegal action against them.<\/p>\n
Newspaper advertisements blatantly tout the internationally
\nsought-after pills, ignoring warnings from the Ministry of Health
\nthat the sale of Viagra is illegal for the moment.<\/p>\n
David, 48, told The Jakarta Post that he has been overwhelmed
\nby orders for pills since he started selling Viagra two months
\nago.<\/p>\n
\"My cell phones haven't stopped ringing. I have to turn them
\noff after 10 p.m. in order to give myself time to sleep,\" said
\nthe father of two. He said he had 40 to 50 customers a day.<\/p>\n
David gets his supply of the drug from a friend in the United
\nStates for Rp 250,000 each. Customers are able to contact him
\nthrough his two mobile phones at 0818-161-293 or 0816-837-471 and
\nthrough e-mail at dvd@bit.net.id.<\/p>\n
\"Most people need to take only a quarter of a pill, but those
\nwho have impotency problems can take half of one,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Most of David's buyers are men aged between 40 years and 50
\nyears.<\/p>\n
\"But there are men as young as 26 who are interested in buying
\nViagra,\" David said, bursting into laughter.<\/p>\n
He does not place a limit on the number of pills his customers
\ncan buy.<\/p>\n
\"Even if a customer wants only a single pill, we'll deliver it
\nwithout any additional charges,\" he said.<\/p>\n
For those living outside the area, David said he would deliver
\nany orders after the customer transferred money into his account
\nand sent a copy of the receipt with a mailing address.<\/p>\n
Most of his customers are from Jakarta, but some orders have
\ncome in from as far away as Irian Jaya, Maluku, Malaysia and
\nSingapore.<\/p>\n
Several patients of a noted sexologist have even ordered pills
\non the advice of their doctor, David said.<\/p>\n
When asked whether he knew the Ministry of Health had yet to
\napprove the sale of Viagra here, he countered that he was not
\nselling something that would harm people.<\/p>\n
He, however, admitted to being aware of reports that some
\npeople had died after using Viagra. \"But plenty of motorists die
\nin accidents because they ignore or violate traffic regulations.\"<\/p>\n
David, who successfully tested the drug on his 76-year-old
\nuncle, advises people with doubts about Viagra to consult a
\nphysician the way he did before selling it here.<\/p>\n
Another Viagra seller, Irene, offers a 10 percent discount to
\nbuyers who order 10 or more pills at a time. Individually, each
\npill is sold for Rp 250,000.<\/p>\n
When asked whether Viagra was only good for dealing with
\nphysiologically derived impotence, she said that many of her
\nyoung buyers also took the pill to stave off premature
\nejaculation.<\/p>\n
\"Before, they could only perform for two or three minutes
\nbefore ejaculating, a situation that would make their wives
\ncomplain. But with Viagra, they say they can keep going for 10 to
\n15 minutes until their wives can't stand it anymore,\" she
\nexplained.<\/p>\n
Echoing many physicians, Irene claimed that Viagra did not
\nhave any side effects and would not force men to continually
\ndepend on it.<\/p>\n
\"It's just like your car. The engine needs an overhaul now and
\nthen to clean the system. Viagra allows you to do that. After one
\nor two times, your 'penis pores' won't be clogged up anymore and
\nyou won't need it,\" said Irene, who offers brochures on the new
\ndrug.<\/p>\n
Noted sexologist Naek L. Tobing told Matra magazine that
\nimpotency could happen to any man just like other health
\nproblems, such as influenza or diarrhea.<\/p>\n
\"There's a time when we catch influenza and there's a time
\nwhen our erections drop. When one suffers from hepatitis, sexual
\nperformance can decline. So for those who have sexual problems,
\ndon't get too frightened,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He also advised men to lead healthy lives by avoiding
\ncigarettes, eating healthy meals and having sex regularly to
\nprevent sexual problems.<\/p>\n
\"If there's a sexual problem, it's better to cure it
\nconventionally by consulting a doctor. Because if (you) directly
\nuse a drug such as Viagra, there might be unwanted side effects,\"
\nTobing said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/viagra-sales-boom-despite-being-illegal-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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