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.