Local men swell with joy over govt's approval of Viagra

Local men swell with joy over govt's approval of Viagra

By Stevie Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): What does a man do upon receiving Viagra from a
friend returning from a trip abroad?

Forty-eight-year-old Suryana, not his real name, sent his
three children to his parents' house on a Sunday so that he and
his wife could try the blue pills without any disturbances.

"I still remember how it felt although I tried it about two
months ago. Never in my life had I made love to my wife four
times in one day. It made me feel so much younger," laughed the
architect, who said he did not suffer from erectile dysfunction,
more popularly known as impotency.

He said he never thought he would have the chance to try the
drug.

"My friends at the office boasted about Viagra's magic on many
occasions. Well, you know, I don't have to share the details. But
I never thought of giving it a try myself although I know that
there are ads in newspapers offering the pill," he told The
Jakarta Post over the phone.

Suryana, who took a quarter of the pill before making love to
his wife each time, does not regret the experience. "My wife even
praised my 'performance,'" he said proudly.

After a long wait, the blue wonder drug, as Viagra frequently
is called, has received the government's approval to be sold here
in certain pharmacies with a prescription.

Still, the Ministry of Health is imposing some restrictions on
the sale of the drug.

Viagra is allowed to be prescribed only by specialists,
including urologists, internists, cardiologists and doctors
working at medical clinics specializing in impotency.

The ministry also has established a six-month evaluation
period to determine whether more pharmacies will be allowed to
sell Viagra.

In the meantime, Viagra can be sold only at pharmacies where
pharmacists are on-call 24-hours. Under the ministry's
regulation, the pharmacists must personally hand the drug to
customers and provide them with accurate information.

"The drug will be available at pharmacies which meet ministry
requirements around April," Sampurno, director general for drugs
and food supervision at the Ministry of Health, said.

Two weeks ago, the government gave the green light to United
States drug manufacturer Pfizer Inc. to manufacture Viagra here.
Official approval is expected later this week.

The local manufacturer of Viagra is required to prepare an
information sheet on the drug, including its side effects, before
the drug can be officially registered.

Apart from providing the information sheet, a draft of which
has been accepted by the health ministry and is awaiting official
approval, the manufacturer is also required to conduct a training
course to educate doctors about the drug.

There have been reports about the deaths of Viagra users,
which does not necessarily mean the deaths were caused by the
drug. Last year, 69 Americans taking Viagra died between late
March and July, Forty-six of the fatalities were caused by heart
attacks and other cardiovascular problems.

Sampurno said the decision initially to limit distribution of
Viagra was made to prevent abuse of the drug.

"Viagra is a strong medicine, not to be used for fun. The pill
is effective for those suffering from impotency but it is not
allowed for people suffering from certain diseases, such as
hypertension. But what we fear most is the possible abuse of the
pill if it is not used by those in need," Sampurno told the Post.

An independent team comprising experts, including officials
from the University of Indonesia's School of Pharmacology, also
will be established by the ministry to monitor Viagra's
distribution and any complaints linked to the drug.

In addition, every three months the local manufacturer will be
required to report the drug's supply and distribution and any
complaints regarding the drug to the ministry.

The local Pfizer representative is maintaining a low profile
and declined to comment on the drug's approval without official
notification from the ministry.

Restrictions

The government's restrictions also mean prospective users will
have to wait before filling a prescription for Viagra
because most pharmacies are unaware if they have been approved to
sell the drug.

A pharmacist at Melawai drug store, Ariani, said that the drug
store currently was not selling Viagra.

"We don't know about it (the approval)... besides, there's no
offer from the drug manufacturer yet," she told the Post by
phone.

When asked whether people were inquiring about Viagra, she
said, "There have been some questions... but we don't have the
drug."

Big pharmacies, including Kimia Farma pharmacy in the Matraman
area of Central Jakarta, also do not know if they have been
approved to sell the drug.

Kimia Farma's assistant pharmacist, Rita, told the Post the
pharmacy did not have Viagra on its drugs list.

"But many men have already asked questions about it. Even
young men... I don't know whether they really need the drug,"
laughed Rita.

The government's approval, however, received a cold response
from local distributors who have been making money selling the
drug for months.

Many distributors have blatantly advertised the drug in
newspapers without fear of legal action.

David, a local distributor, said that he was not worried about
a drop in sales resulting from the government's approval of the
sale of Viagra because the drug was sold only under prescription.

"Many people are still reluctant to go to the doctor for their
sexual problems so they decide to find their own solutions.
Besides there are many people who want to give Viagra a try,"
David, who claims to have regular customers, told the Post.

He added the Viagra he sells, which is imported directly from
the United States, was his main selling point.

"Although the drug is manufactured by the same company, still
the quality of the pills being made here and those made in the
U.S. are different."

David, who sells Viagra without a prescription, claimed he
sold at least 20 bottles of Viagra each week, either to local or
foreign customers, for Rp 150,000 each. Each bottle contains 30
pills.

Besides advertising his product in newspapers, David also
receives orders for the drug through the Internet.

Allegedly the drug also is sold in various places in the city
such as Pasar Baru, Glodok and Roxy. However, David said such
pills, sold for between Rp 90,000 and Rp 125,000 each, were not
genuine.