Associated Press news: Italians Get Viagra in San Marino
MAY 12, 16:17 EDT
By CANDICE HUGHES
Associated Press Writer
SAN MARINO (AP) -- San Marino may be one of the
tiniest countries in the world. But it has something
very, very big: the potency pill Viagra.
The mountain republic is one of the few places outside
the United States where the new drug is available.
Since San Marino has a population of just 25,000,
there's a limit to how much Viagra it can use. But San
Marino is on a mountaintop inside Italy, about 250
miles northeast of Rome, and Italian men are flocking
here.
''We have thousands of prescriptions on back order,''
says San Marino's health secretary, Sante Canducci.
While Viagra is wending its way through various
bureaucracies for approval in other European countries,
San Marino accepted U.S. Food and Drug Administration
approval of the drug. Viagra hit the shelves here just
days after its stunning American debut last month.
''The FDA,'' Canducci said, ''is a very serious
organization.''
Pfizer, the company that makes Viagra, expects the
drug will be approved in Italy and other Western
European countries early next year. In the meantime,
outside San Marino, it is on sale only in Andorra, a
principality between Spain and France.
Viagra doesn't come cheap here: about $16 a pill,
compared to $10 in the United States.
San Marino's six pharmacies, all of which are state-run,
require a prescription from a urologist or a physician
specializing in treating men.
Dr. Andriani Egido said his appointment book is full
through the end of June, and he is getting about 300
calls a day about Viagra.
San Marino pharmacies, which also accept foreign
prescriptions, are overwhelmed with inquiries.
''When they call, they never admit they're calling for
themselves,'' said pharmacist Anna Maria Crudi. ''It's
for the boss. Or a friend. Or a relative.''
While most callers are older men, the young call too.
''They think it will increase their 'potential,''' Crudi
said.
An Italian pornography shop wanted to buy Viagra in
bulk, Canducci said. ''We said: No! It's not candy!''
Until Viagra, San Marino's claims to fame is its status
as the world's oldest independent republic; legend
dates the founding to the year 301.
Quaint best describes this miniature member of the
United Nations, which still maintains a crossbow corps.
The mountaintop bristles with castle fortresses and the
city's thick stone walls zigzag up the slopes.
Tourism is San Marino's lifeblood, with more than 3
million day-trippers annually.
But now San Marino's modest pharmacies may soon
rival the popularity of its wax museum of torture or the
stunning views from the ramparts.
''This could be a real boost for tourism,'' Canducci said
with a grin. |
