{"id":27598,"date":"2019-10-02T13:00:36","date_gmt":"2019-10-02T13:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/?p=27598"},"modified":"2019-10-01T17:36:51","modified_gmt":"2019-10-01T17:36:51","slug":"fake-viagra-still-a-problem-despite-cost-effective-generics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction\/viagra\/fake-viagra-still-a-problem-despite-cost-effective-generics\/","title":{"rendered":"Fake Viagra: Still a Problem Despite Cost-Effective Generics"},"content":{"rendered":"

The advent of low-cost generic alternatives to Viagra seems to have done little, if anything, to slow the flow of counterfeit formulations of the drug into markets around the world.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/h3>\n

Despite the availability of lower-priced generic alternatives to Viagra, counterfeit Viagra continues to flood erectile dysfunction drug markets worldwide. Headlines from across the globe make clear that fake Viagra is still going strong.<\/p>\n

Within the United States, counterfeit Viagra is most often advertised for sale on the internet, while in some countries the fakes can be found on the shelves of street markets as well.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hardly a new problem. Counterfeit copies of the iconic little blue pill have been around nearly as long as the authentic medication itself. The popular ED drug won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in late March 1998 and went on sale in the United States shortly after that.<\/p>\n

Within a very short time after the revolutionary new ED drug became available to the public, counterfeit drugmakers began churning out millions of fake Viagra tablets to take advantage of the medication\u2019s popularity.<\/p>\n

More than two decades have passed, and nothing seems to have slowed the flood of fake Viagra. While some speculated that lower-cost generic formulations of the drug would erode demand for counterfeit Viagra, that hasn\u2019t happened, at least not yet.<\/p>\n

Generic Viagra Debuts<\/h3>\n

Under a licensing agreement negotiated between Pfizer and generic drugmaker Teva Pharmaceuticals, the latter was allowed to introduce a generic formulation of Viagra on the U.S. market on December 11, 2017. At the same time, Greenstone LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pfizer, introduced its own generic version of the medication.<\/p>\n

Pfizer\u2019s final U.S. patent on Viagra doesn\u2019t expire until April 2020, but the deal it negotiated with Teva gave the Israeli-based generics giant the right to introduce its generic Viagra well in advance of the patent expiration. For that privilege, Teva pays Pfizer a licensing fee.<\/p>\n

Because Pfizer\u2019s U.S. patent on the drug remains valid, generic competition has thus far been limited to the formulations manufactured and sold by Teva and Greenstone.<\/p>\n

That will change in April 2020. The expiration of Pfizer\u2019s patent will open the door to broader generic competition. In anticipation of that moment, numerous generic drug companies have had their generic formulations of the drug approved tentatively by the FDA.<\/p>\n

The increased availability of generic Viagra beginning in April 2020 should exert further downward pressure on generic Viagra prices. Whether such lower prices will dampen the market for counterfeit Viagra remains to be seen.<\/p>\n

\"Counterfeit
Counterfeit drugs are big business around the world, and fake ED medications make up a significant part of that trade.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What\u2019s in Fake Viagra?<\/h3>\n

There is no easy answer to this question. By their very nature, counterfeit prescription drugs aren\u2019t subject to any real oversight or testing, so what little we know has come from laboratory analysis of fake Viagra that\u2019s been seized.<\/p>\n

Some of the fakes actually contain sildenafil citrate, which is the active ingredient in Viagra, but the amount of active ingredient varies from too little to be effective to so much that it\u2019s a threat to the user\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

And drug counterfeiters aren\u2019t too fussy about the materials they choose as fillers and coloring agents. Potentially toxic wallboard material is sometimes used as filler while printing inks are often used to give fake pills the desired hue.<\/p>\n

Fighting Fake Viagra<\/h3>\n

Hardly a day passes without a new report of counterfeit Viagra seizures somewhere in the world. Here are just a few of the most recent headlines:<\/p>\n