When it comes to ED, you have a lot of choices. Knowing the names of generic drug versions, which name-brand drugs they are generics for, and how they differ can help you make the best choice for your needs.
There’s still some stigma around generic drugs. We know these medications are effective but do they work as well as the name brand? When your sexual health is at stake, can you trust something other than Viagra for your ED? This post will tell you what you need to know about the generic drugs for ED that are currently on the market.
Should You Stick with Viagra for your ED?
Let’s jump straight to the punch line; the U.S. Food & Drug Administration says, “A generic drug is a medication created to be the same as an existing approved brand-name drug in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, and performance characteristics.”
In simple terms, generic drugs aren’t imitations, and they have the same strength and effectiveness as their name-brand counterparts. The FDA conducts thousands of inspections and spot-checks to verify that the generic ED or another drug you’re receiving is the real deal. So whether you’re getting Viagra, Cialis, or sildenafil or tadalafil, the only difference is the price you might pay for these drugs. However the patent on the amazing ED drug Viagra is set to expire, so the gates will open for more alternative drugs for your sexual health.
Viagra vs. ED Alternatives
Pfizer Pharmaceuticals introduced Viagra in the 90s. Before that, treatment for ED was more painful and less effective. Viagra was developed to treat high blood pressure and became hugely successful for the off-label ED treatment. When Viagra was marketed for ED it became something of a medical miracle, bringing in more than $25 billion in revenue.
But generics were created, in part, to allow more market competition and, true to form, the EPA approved five new versions of the generic form of Viagra, sildenafil just last year. This was in addition to the already-lowered costs from generic Viagra that has been on the market since 2017.
Generic sildenafil is sold in several doses just like Viagra: 25 mg, 50 mg, and 100 mg. The biggest benefit of these ED generics is that they are driving the price down.
The prices of these drugs are expected to plummet to as low as 60 cents a pill. But one article suggested that Pfizer’s response to these competitors would be to increase the price of Viagra because many people still believe generic ED medication isn’t as effective. In the meantime, the Pharmacy Times reported a new generic version of Cialis, called Tadalafil is on the market from Teva Pharmaceuticals. This is all good news for men suffering from sexual dysfunction.
With 30 million men suffering from ED, it’s extremely important to get the word out that generic Viagra is just as good as the real thing – but a lot less expensive. Men no longer just have to pay the prices imposed by the original maker of the little blue pill Viagra because today there are multiple manufacturers and many generic pills that are just as safe and effective. The only difference is a lowered price and that the pill may not be blue, but instead, white. Since color plays no part in the efficacy of the drug, generic Viagra is a nice alternative for men seeking to pay less for their ED meds and sexual health.
