Pfizer Goes Direct With Online Viagra Sales To Men

The ubiquitous blue-toned TV ads for Viagra look downright tame compared with Pfizer's latest gambit for the impotence remedy.

Pfizer is now selling the drug directly from the official Viagra website.

Men still need a prescription for the diamond-shaped blue pills. However, instead of going to the pharmacy in person, enduring the potential embarrassment associated with discussing their condition openly, or taking their chances buying from an online pharmacy of unknown repute and risking encountering counterfeit pills, men will be able to buy Viagra directly from the maker of the drug itself. They will then have their order safely shipped directly to their homes, ensuring a level of privacy and discretion that many men value highly in this sensitive matter.

To be clear, Pfizer isn't getting into the pharmacy business in the traditional sense. Instead, the CVS drugstore chain will handle all of the processing and fulfillment of orders made through the Viagra website. Still, this direct-to-consumer form of selling from a Pfizer website marks quite a departure from the conventional way that prescription drugmakers typically conduct their business, as they usually rely on pharmacies for dispensing their medications.

Pfizer asserts that this company-sponsored approach offers two significant advantages. For one, men who may feel embarrassed about going into a physical pharmacy to fill a Viagra prescription won't have to confront that discomfort. Moreover, the official website will provide online shoppers with the confidence that the Viagra they are purchasing is genuine and manufactured by the reputable company, reducing the risk of unknowingly acquiring counterfeit drugs from unreliable sources.

Viagra is a frequent target of counterfeiters, with individuals and enterprises attempting to exploit its popularity. A plethora of online pharmacies tout cut-price Viagra that may not be safe or effective. Those who buy drugs online without proper verification are "playing Russian roulette," according to Matthew Bassiur, a security specialist at Pfizer, who warns about the potential dangers of purchasing medication from unverified sources.

Despite these concerns, the hefty price of Viagra remains unchanged. Currently, the medication costs about $25 per pill, and many health insurance plans do not offer coverage for this specific medication, making it a substantial out-of-pocket expense for consumers. When combined with the stigma and embarrassment many men feel about seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction, it's easy to understand why a significant number of men have chosen to buy Viagra from online sources, even prior to the existence of a manufacturer-authorized purchasing option.

But will this new method of buying Viagra work effectively? That determination largely rests on individual men’s motivations and preferences when it comes to acquiring the medication.

"Is this decision driven by embarrassment or the price?" asks Richard Evans, a seasoned drug industry analyst now with SSR Health, an independent investment research boutique. "The reality is it is probably a combination of both factors, but I believe it leans more towards price." In light of that perspective, the response to Pfizer's new online sales strategy might be more subdued than expected. "You're always going to find a better deal from a source other than Pfizer," Evans informs Shots. "The real question is whether that alternative source is trustworthy and legitimate or not."

This direct-selling approach is indeed unusual in the pharmaceutical industry, with the AP referring to it as a groundbreaking development.

A few years ago, Pfizer made a move towards this model by offering patients taking the cholesterol medication Lipitor a discount program that included fulfillment of prescriptions through a mail-order pharmacy service.

That program required patients to enroll first and was primarily motivated by competition from generic versions of Lipitor, which threatened Pfizer’s market share.

However, this same scenario is not anticipated for Viagra, as Pfizer expects that U.S. patents will protect the brand-name drug from generic competition until 2020, providing them a secure market position in the meantime.