Viagra sales boom despite being illegal

By Stevie Emilia and Bruce Emond

JAKARTA (JP): Although the government has yet to rule on Viagra's legality here, some local businesspeople have been making a lot of money from the drug without fear of possible legal action against them.

Newspaper advertisements blatantly tout the internationally sought-after pills, ignoring warnings from the Ministry of Health that the sale of Viagra is illegal for the moment.

David, 48, told The Jakarta Post that he has been overwhelmed by orders for pills since he started selling Viagra two months ago.

"My cell phones haven't stopped ringing. I have to turn them off after 10 p.m. in order to give myself time to sleep," said the father of two. He said he had 40 to 50 customers a day.

David gets his supply of the drug from a friend in the United States for Rp 250,000 each. Customers are able to contact him through his two mobile phones at 0818-161-293 or 0816-837-471 and through e-mail at dvd@bit.net.id.

"Most people need to take only a quarter of a pill, but those who have impotency problems can take half of one," he said.

Most of David's buyers are men aged between 40 years and 50 years.

"But there are men as young as 26 who are interested in buying Viagra," David said, bursting into laughter.

He does not place a limit on the number of pills his customers can buy.

"Even if a customer wants only a single pill, we'll deliver it without any additional charges," he said.

For those living outside the area, David said he would deliver any orders after the customer transferred money into his account and sent a copy of the receipt with a mailing address.

Most of his customers are from Jakarta, but some orders have come in from as far away as Irian Jaya, Maluku, Malaysia and Singapore.

Several patients of a noted sexologist have even ordered pills on the advice of their doctor, David said.

When asked whether he knew the Ministry of Health had yet to approve the sale of Viagra here, he countered that he was not selling something that would harm people.

He, however, admitted to being aware of reports that some people had died after using Viagra. "But plenty of motorists die in accidents because they ignore or violate traffic regulations."

David, who successfully tested the drug on his 76-year-old uncle, advises people with doubts about Viagra to consult a physician the way he did before selling it here.

Another Viagra seller, Irene, offers a 10 percent discount to buyers who order 10 or more pills at a time. Individually, each pill is sold for Rp 250,000.

When asked whether Viagra was only good for dealing with physiologically derived impotence, she said that many of her young buyers also took the pill to stave off premature ejaculation.

"Before, they could only perform for two or three minutes before ejaculating, a situation that would make their wives complain. But with Viagra, they say they can keep going for 10 to 15 minutes until their wives can't stand it anymore," she explained.

Echoing many physicians, Irene claimed that Viagra did not have any side effects and would not force men to continually depend on it.

"It's just like your car. The engine needs an overhaul now and then to clean the system. Viagra allows you to do that. After one or two times, your 'penis pores' won't be clogged up anymore and you won't need it," said Irene, who offers brochures on the new drug.

Noted sexologist Naek L. Tobing told Matra magazine that impotency could happen to any man just like other health problems, such as influenza or diarrhea.

"There's a time when we catch influenza and there's a time when our erections drop. When one suffers from hepatitis, sexual performance can decline. So for those who have sexual problems, don't get too frightened," he said.

He also advised men to lead healthy lives by avoiding cigarettes, eating healthy meals and having sex regularly to prevent sexual problems.

"If there's a sexual problem, it's better to cure it conventionally by consulting a doctor. Because if (you) directly use a drug such as Viagra, there might be unwanted side effects," Tobing said.