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Biotech / Medical : Pharma News Only (pfe,mrk,wla, sgp, ahp, bmy, lly) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (394)	6/23/1998 12:16:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1722

Japan: Viagra ads on Internet rising June 23, 1998 Yomiuri Shimbun Viagra, the new impotence drug that made a sensational debut in the United States, has finally arrived in Japan. The Health and Welfare Ministry has still not approved Viagra, but dealers have been advertising the drug for sale to Japanese consumers on the Internet. Dealers began importing it on behalf of a number of men under the pretext that it would be for personal use. Such business is typical of that carried out via the Internet. Web sites that advertise the importation on behalf of impotent men began to appear in early May, when the drug started to gain widespread attention in the United States. Such sites now exceed 50 in number, and aim to draw attention with statements such as, "a drug of wonder, which took the United States by storm" and "at last, the dream has come true." "Our site has been accessed by more than 30 people a day," one Viagra promoter said. "I think the drug will be eventually approved in Japan, but until then, we expect to receive more orders from our (Internet) customers." Prices vary, with one site asking 64,000 yen for 30 tablets and 40,000 yen for 10. The U.S. government has designated Viagra a prescription drug, so every Web site promoting its sale includes a brief questionnaire on a prospective customer's blood pressure, and whether he is suffering from glucosuria or heart disease. But the main precaution that the promoters of the drug on the Internet have taken is to emphasize that it is for personal use and the amount to be imported does not exceed a monthlong supply. Under current regulations, pharmaceuticals to be imported to Japan require Health and Welfare Ministry approval, but the ministry apparently is prepared to relax the regulations for importers that offer potential customers the advice that appears on the Web sites. "If there should be any problem in advertisements carried on these sites, we will have to regulate them, but basically, we cannot regulate private importers," a ministry official said.