Generic competition begins to eat away at Cialis sales. It’s a trend that’s certain to accelerate now that generic equivalents of Cialis have hit the market.
Sales of Cialis, the best-selling ED drug in America in 2017, have taken a significant hit since the introduction of generic alternatives to Viagra in December 2017, according to Eli Lilly & Company’s third quarter report. Worldwide sales of Cialis in the first three quarters of 2018 totaled $1.5 billion, down 13 percent from $1.73 billion in the comparable period of 2017.
The downward trend in Cialis sales is expected to accelerate in the final quarter of 2018 when its first generic alternatives come to market.
Although Cialis for use as needed — available in 10 and 20-milligram tablets — varies significantly from Viagra, particularly in terms of its duration of action, ED drug users seem willing to opt for the less expensive medication to save money.
Cialis sales in the third quarter of 2018 totaled $467.1 million, down 17 percent from $564.9 million in the third quarter of 2017, according to sales data from Lilly, which holds the U.S. patent on Cialis.
The weakness in Cialis sales is just the beginning of an expected decline in the sales of brand-name ED drugs as more and more generics become available. Teva Pharmaceuticals and Greenstone LLC, a Pfizer subsidiary, both introduced generic formulations of Viagra — sold under the name of its active ingredient, sildenafil citrate — on December 11, 2017.
Pfizer’s U.S. patent on Viagra remains in force until April 2020, but the giant drugmaker negotiated licensing agreements with Teva and others that allowed them to begin marketing generic versions of Viagra in late 2017.
As for Cialis, it now faces direct generic competition with the October 2018 introduction of Teva’s generic equivalent, which is marketed as tadalafil, the active ingredient in Cialis. FiercePharma.com predicts that Lilly’s annual sales of Cialis will bring in only $55 million by 2022.
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