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drug-ED-Cialis
New drug for impotence to hit market in Indonesia
JP/14/drug1

New drug for impotence to hit market in Indonesia

Tony Hotland
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

Competition among erectile dysfunction (ED) drug producers in
Indonesia is likely to get stiffer as a new drug, reported to
sustain an erection for as long as 36 hours, enters the market.

U.S.-based pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and drug producer
ICOS Corp. are set on launching their own ED drug, Cialis, in the
country by the end of the first quarter at the latest.

"We hope Cialis will become a major product here, because it's
a very innovative product and the newest offering for ED
patients," Eli Lilly director for Southeast Asia Khai Meng Ang
said on Thursday.

It is estimated that 152 million men worldwide are suffering
from the disorder, often referred to as impotence.

Ang expressed his confidence that Cialis would make a high
profit, given the drug's "superiority" over two other drugs for
men with ED that are available here, Viagra and Levitra.

"Cialis is a very important commercial product for our
company. There are people who don't respond to the current drugs,
so here's an alternative," he said.

He explained that, unlike Viagra and Levitra, which have a
four-hour effect, Cialis offered an efficacy period of 36 hours
after consumption. This, he said, would allow men to have more
control in choosing an appropriate moment for sexual activity.

Another benefit is that the absorption of Cialis is not
delayed or diminished by the intake of food, as is the case with
Viagra.

Ang declined to make a sales projection for Indonesia, but he
said the producers expected to seize up to 35 percent of the
market share by the end of 2004.

"We're hoping for an aggressive market share here, and we
believe that Cialis will be as successful as it has been in other
markets," he said.

In less than a year, Cialis has already attracted millions of
patients in over 40 countries after it was first introduced in
February 2003 in Australia and Europe.

Singapore was the first Southeast Asian country to open its
doors to the much-vaunted drug in April, while Cialis entered the
U.S. market only recently.

Since its initial launch, Cialis is reported to have gained 25
percent of the market share in Europe and Australia, with sales
reaching US$58.9 million as of July 2003.

Ang said the retail price for the drug in Indonesia was still
being calculated, and was quick to add that "the price will be
competitive and similar to existing prices".

Viagra costs Rp 75,000 (US$8.82) for a 50 milligram (mg) dose
and Rp 96,000 for a 100 mg dose.

Levitra producer GlaxoSmithKline Indonesia claimed that since
its launch in October, they had grabbed 15 percent of the
domestic ED drug market, which generates Rp 6 billion a month.