Materia Medica Malaysiana

Third anti-impotence drug on sale in Malaysia to tap 'silent sufferers"

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - A third anti-impotence drug, Levitra, is now on sale in Malaysia where some 90 percent of men affected by erectile dysfunction (ED) are "silent sufferers," health experts said.

The new orange pill, marketed by pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline of Britain and Germany's Bayer and launched in US and European markets last year, competes with Viagra, manufactured by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, and Cialis by US giant Eli Lilly.

In a statement, GlaxoSmithKline and Bayer said the entry of Levitra into the Malaysian market was aimed at meeting the needs of ED sufferers who "are still silent and untreated."

"In Malaysia, it is estimated that over 90 percent of ED sufferers are silent. This means there is still a huge untapped market of untreated ED sufferers in Malaysia," said local consultant urologist Tan Hui Meng.

Based on research conducted on 351 Malaysian men aged 50 and above, he said 69 percent suffered mild to severe ED and only 7.2 percent had tried a prescription medicine.

Reports previously said there were an estimated 2.2 million men in Malaysia affected by ED.

The statement said some 150 million men worldwide were suffering from ED but this figure was expected to double to 322 million by 2025, of which about 65 percent would be in Asia.