{"id":27893,"date":"2019-11-12T08:00:25","date_gmt":"2019-11-12T08:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/?p=27893"},"modified":"2019-11-05T17:04:06","modified_gmt":"2019-11-05T17:04:06","slug":"why-arent-generic-ed-drug-prices-falling-faster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction\/why-arent-generic-ed-drug-prices-falling-faster\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Aren’t Generic ED Drug Prices Falling Faster?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The average prices of generic ED drugs showed relatively little change between August and October 2019. This price stability mirrored the pricing trends among the generics\u2019 brand-name counterparts.<\/em><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/h3>\n

The arrival of generic competition usually heralds the availability of safe and effective alternatives to brand-name drugs at significantly lower prices. While generic erectile dysfunction drugs are clearly less expensive than their brand-name counterparts, they\u2019re not really quite the bargain that generics once were. Nor do their prices seem to be falling as rapidly as the prices of generics for other types of medication.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, most of these generics are still relatively new. It was not until December 2017 that a generic alternative to Viagra became available. And that generic came to market under decidedly different circumstances. Pfizer\u2019s final U.S. patents on Viagra were still in effect, so Teva Pharmaceuticals won the right to manufacture and market a generic alternative only by agreeing to pay a hefty royalty fee. Pfizer\u2019s remaining U.S. patents don\u2019t expire until April 2020, so Teva will continue paying that royalty until then.<\/p>\n

As to the generic alternatives to Cialis, Levitra, and Staxyn, they are barely a year old, having come to market in the late summer and early fall of 2018.<\/p>\n

Of the five brand-name ED drugs on the U.S. market, only Stendra has no generic competition. Stendra wasn\u2019t approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration until 2012 and thus has patent protection against generic competition for at least a couple of years.<\/p>\n

Link with Branded Prices<\/h3>\n

The prices of generic ED drugs often seem to move in lockstep with those of the brand-name drugs they replace. That is to say, that if the price of a brand-name drug is increased or stable, the less likely it is that the generic price will drop. In fact, in some cases, the average price of the generic has even increased slightly in response to similar price movements by its brand-name counterpart.<\/p>\n

This close association between the prices of branded and generic drugs could be accounted for, at least in part, by the fact that generic alternatives to brand-name ED drugs are relatively few in number, at least at this point.<\/p>\n

The more generics that are competing for a share of the market, the more likely generic prices are to move lower. As of early November 2019, the only generic alternatives to Pfizer\u2019s Viagra are marketed by Teva Pharmaceuticals and Greenstone LLC, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pfizer. With the expiration of Pfizer\u2019s final U.S. patents on Viagra in April 2020, more generic versions of the drug are expected to make their debut. And this increased competition could force overall generic prices lower. But that\u2019s not yet happened.<\/p>\n

The generic equivalents of Cialis (in both its on-demand and daily formulations), Levitra, and Staxyn are also low in number. As they increase, generic prices could tend to move lower.<\/p>\n

Secure Medical Price Review<\/h3>\n

The monthly price review conducted by Secure Medical surveys prices from 18 prescription drug retailers. Of the 18, 15 are conventional retailers that operate brick-and-mortar outlets across broad regions or nationwide. The remaining three are online prescription drug services.<\/p>\n

Each month, prices for all ED medications — brand-name and generic — as well as a number of other lifestyle drugs are reviewed. The monthly review gives consumers an overview of price trends and also points them to the retailers that currently have the lowest posted prices for a particular drug.<\/p>\n

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\"Pill
Although they aren\u2019t falling as fast as some had hoped, generic ED medications still represent a big savings over their brand-name counterparts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Viagra\/Sildenafil<\/h3>\n

In the three-month period from August 1 through October 31, 2019, the average price of 100-milligram Viagra actually increased slightly from $76.99 in August to $77.05 in October, according to Secure Medical\u2019s review. Although this represented an average price increase of only six cents, it was unusual to see the brand-name price increase at all.<\/p>\n

During that same three-month period, the average price of 100-milligram sildenafil citrate, the generic equivalent of Viagra, held steady at $24.89, according to the Secure Medical review.<\/p>\n

Cialis\/Tadalafil<\/h3>\n

Like Viagra, the average price of 20-milligram Cialis increased slightly during the three-month period. It went from $75.83 in August to $76.05 in October. Again, not a big jump but an increase nevertheless.<\/p>\n

Following in the footsteps of its brand-name counterpart, the average price of tadalafil, the generic equivalent of Cialis, increased during this same period, climbing from $27.47 per 20-milligram tablet in August to $28.37 in October.<\/p>\n

Cialis Daily\/Tadalafil Daily<\/h3>\n

While higher-strength Cialis (10 and 20 milligrams) is designed for use on-demand, the drug at lower strength (2.5 to 5 milligrams) has been found to confer 24\/7 erectile function when taken faithfully every day. These forms of the drug are known as Cialis daily and tadalafil daily.<\/p>\n

The average price of 5-milligram Cialis daily actually decreased very slightly over the three-month period, dropping from $14.02 in August to $13.97 in October, according to data from Secure Medical.<\/p>\n

In response to the relative price stability of its brand-name counterpart, the average price of 5-milligram tadalafil daily actually increased from $6.02 in August to $6.55 in October.<\/p>\n

Levitra\/Vardenafil<\/h3>\n

Something of an exception in the overall trend of ED drug prices, both brand-name and generic, were Levitra and vardenafil hydrochloride, its generic equivalent.<\/p>\n

While the average price of brand-name Levitra firmed ever so slightly, rising $56.93 in August to $56.98 in October 2019, the average price of vardenafil dropped from $27.26 in August to $21.21 in October. That was a price decrease of just over 22 percent and perhaps reflective of the weak standing of Levitra\/vardenafil in overall ED medication sales. Levitra and vardenafil have long trailed Viagra\/sildenafil and Cialis\/tadalafil in terms of market share.<\/p>\n

Benefits of Ordering Online<\/h3>\n

Many men have found that they can save both time and money by ordering their ED medications online from eDrugstore.com, a longtime online prescription drug service. Based in Tempe, Arizona, eDrugstore has been in business since the late 1990s and carries a full range of ED drugs, including both brand-name and generic products.<\/p>\n

By ordering online, you\u2019ll save yourself the trouble of trips to and from the local pharmacy and also save the time you might have to wait while the pharmacist fills your prescription.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have a prescription? No problem, because eDrugstore can fix you up with a complimentary<\/strong> online consultation with a licensed U.S. physician who can authorize a prescription if appropriate.<\/p>\n

Orders placed with eDrugstore are filled promptly, packaged discreetly, and shipped free of charge to your home or workplace. With all first orders, eDrugstore encloses a free pill-splitter, which can help add to your savings on prescription drugs. To learn more, visit eDrugstore\u2019s Erectile Dysfunction page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The average prices of generic ED drugs showed relatively little change between August and October 2019. This price stability mirrored the pricing trends among the generics\u2019 brand-name counterparts. Introduction The arrival of generic competition usually heralds the availability of safe and effective alternatives to brand-name drugs at significantly lower prices. While generic erectile dysfunction drugs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27894,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[22],"class_list":["post-27893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-erectile-dysfunction","tag-ed"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t