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.