Is Generic Viagra Safe and Effective?
The short answer is: it may be effective, but most experts would agree that it is not safe since none of it is medically approved (yet).
The FDA, Pfizer, and many doctors and professionals frequently warn patients and consumers against fake medications sold online, including the many generic versions of Viagra offered in a large number of “online pharmacy” sites.
So, why all the warnings about generic Viagra traded over the Internet? The following are the main reasons why generic Viagra is generally considered bad.
Legitimacy: Viagra is a registered trademark of Pfizer Inc, and so no other company is authorized to make a product (drug) and name it Viagra unless they have Pfizer’s permission to do so. Also, sildenafil citrate (the active ingredient of Viagra) is patented worldwide by Pfizer, and so no other drug maker can manufacture sildenafil citrate (generic Viagra) in any form until Pfizer’s patents on this drug expire (in 2011–2013). Simply put, any form of generic Viagra that is currently being manufactured and sold (mostly on the Internet) is illegal.
Effectiveness: There are some pharmaceutical companies that (illegally) make generic Viagra that is identical to, and acts as effective as, the genuine drug. However, studies have shown that a lot of the generic Viagra pills sold over the Internet contain no effective ingredients, i.e. pure scams.
Safety: Since generic Viagra is manufactured unlawfully, it is usually made in unlicensed factories and under unhealthy conditions where standards and regulations are absent. In fact, many investigations proved that generic Viagra promoted online often contains unknown/dangerous ingredients, non-approved substances, and harmful (or even fatal) overdoses.
What applies to Viagra also applies to Cialis (generic: tadalafil) and Levitra (generic: vardenafil).
Cialis maker, Eli Lilly, currently holds the patent for this drug, and until the patent expires (in 2016) all generic versions of Cialis made by other drug companies are not legitimate. Levitra’s manufacturer, Bayer, also has worldwide patents on this ED drug, first of which expire in 2018.
The video displayed below is made by the FDA to educate patients about faux drugs on the Internet and help them avoid such scams.
Can Tamiflu Beat Viagra at Spam?
Today I stumbled upon a CNN news article (published in July 2009), which reports that the famous anti-flu drug Tamiflu has recently become a huge target of many spammers to the point that it “out-spam” Viagra.
Spammers have been sending tons of junk emails pushing fake Tamiflu since swine flu was declared a global pandemic last June. The report adds that most sites that used to sell fake Viagra started to offer Tamiflu besides/instead of it, hoping to make a fortune out of this highly on-demand flu treatment, especially with the beginning of flu season (autumn) and the fast worldwide spread of swine flu.
Anyway, I say no way any other product could out-spam Viagra. There might be other products that get occasional spammer focus, but Viagra stays the all-time spammer favorite. Tamiflu spam might have gotten a boost due to the swine flu pandemic, but as soon as the H1N1 vaccine doses become available for the public (this October) and everyone is protected against this deadly virus, Tamiflu demand will decrease and get back to normal and most spammers will lose interest in it. But men will never stop asking for bigger erections and thus Viagra spam will never fade away.
So, why is there so much Viagra spam? And why do most spammers target Viagra?
The reason for that is the “online popularity” of Viagra.
Viagra is very popular on the Internet. That’s because it is considered an “embarrassment drug”, i.e. most patients would feel uncomfortable or embarrassed to ask a doctor for a Viagra prescription. And since most men would be reluctant to discuss their sexual problems with someone else, even their doctor, they try to find a more discreet way to obtain this medication and so they go online to purchase it privately.
On the other hand, almost no one would be embarrassment to ask their doctor or pharmacist for Tamiflu.
Just for comparison, according to Google’s keyword research tool, the search term “buy Viagra” has received about 1,000,000 searches during the month of August alone, while the term “buy Tamiflu” has only received about 14,800 searches during the same period of time. This suggests that Tamiflu’s online sales are not even close to Viagra’s. Even the closest Viagra rival, Cialis, only got about 450,000 searches for the term “buy Cialis” during the month of August.
By far, no other drug has been bigger or better-selling than Viagra on the Internet. Also, the controversy about Viagra has long made this product part of people’s culture. And that’s why most spammers choose to promote Viagra.
Viagra vs. Natural Aphrodisiacs: Advantages and Disadvantages
You probably have heard about certain foods and drinks having Viagra like effects on men. The fact is, there is a bunch of foods that do really help boost male sexual health and ability and work as natural aphrodisiacs.
Not a long time ago, huge discussions hit the news about Watermelon’s Viagra-like effect, which is backed by professional researches, studies and clinical tests.
Fruits and vegetables in general are good for sexual health since they are rich in vitamins and other nutrients that help your body stay fresh and healthy, which results in better sexual health and performance. Also red meat, white meat, fish and oysters are rich in nutrients (e.g. zinc and different amino acids) that prevent erectile dysfunction (impotence).
So, a healthy, balanced and properly planned diet can definitely help patients with sexual dysfunction problems, like ED, but is this method better than Viagra?
Each has its advantages and shortcomings as explained below. Read more
Cialis Getting Closer to Viagra in Sales
Since Eli Lilly’s recent introduction of the brand new once-a-day Cialis and their sales of this medication have been going up and up. Just in the Q2 of 2009, Cialis sales went up by 16% in the US, while Viagra’s increase was only 4% (Lilly Q2 report).
Many experts expect Cialis to overthrow Pfizer’s little blue pill (Viagra) in the upcoming years, which just makes sense.
Lilly has been more creative with their brand and advertisements for Cialis than Pfizer has been with their Viagra plans.
If Pfizer does not start getting more creative and creating more compelling commercials for their erectile dysfunction drug, Cialis will very soon take over Viagra’s spot as the #1 ED medication.
Is Generic Viagra Illegal?
Most medications have a brand name version and a generic version. A generic drug contains the same active ingredient/s found in its brand name counterpart.
The active ingredient of Viagra is sildenafil citrate. Pfizer Inc is the only pharmaceutical company that holds worldwide patents on sildenafil citrate, and so no other manufacturer can make sildenafil citrate and sell it under any brand name as generic Viagra until Pfizer’s patents expire (most of them expire in 2011–2014).
As an example, Pfizer has recently won a Viagra patent dispute in Canada, where the Federal Court of Canada prohibited Novopharm (a Canadian generic pharmaceutical company) from making generic Viagra until Pfizer’s patent expires. (Source)
But many bad companies and dealers have been making lots of generic Viagra, most of which comes from India, China, and other third world countries were law enforcement is limp.
In addition to being illegal, a lot of the generic Viagra sold online for low prices was found to contain unknown, unapproved, and/or dangerous ingredients, which may lead to serious side effects or even death in some cases.
But does it work?
Yes, there are still a few “good” manufacturers who make “decent” generic Viagra (sildenafil citrate tablets), which works the same way as brand Viagra.