Viagra sales boom despite being illegal

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.