Viagra Manufacturer To Strike At Chinese Fakes
Inside China Today
BEIJING, Mar. 25, 1999 -- (Agence France Presse)
Pfizer, the U.S.-based manufacturer of anti-impotence
wonder drug Viagra, is "striking back" at rampant black
market knock-offs of its revolutionary pill, state media
said Thursday.
"Pfizer urges consumers not to mistake 'Weige' for
Viagra," Feng Danlong, Pfizer's China-based director of
corporate affairs, told the China Daily, referring to the
Chinese name for the little blue pill.
"Pfizer stresses it will not be responsible for side
effects patients suffer while using illegally marketed
Viagra products," Feng warned.
While not yet authorized for sale on the mainland,
Viagra has been making appearances on China's black
market for months, with prices as high as 200 to 500
yuan ($24 to $60) per pill.
A pill generally sells for about $10 in the United States.
Local herbal medicine manufacturers have applied to
trademark their anti-impotence products as "Weige,"
while illegal Viagra pills have been sold between
individuals, in drug shops and department stores
across the country, the report said.
China has already completed clinical tests involving
around 600 volunteer patients and the pill could be
approved for use in the world's most populous nation
within a few months.
While reports have not indicated how long a complete
statistical analysis -- to be conducted in Britain --
would take, the State Drug Administration (SDA) will
have final say on approving the drug. ( (c) 1999
Agence France Presse)
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