[MODERATOR SPLIT FROM HERE: http://www.peaktestosterone.com/forum/index.php?topic=8120.0]
My insurance pays for three 10mg pills per month for a co pay of $60. I split them in half, and 5 mg works fine for me most of the time.
I heard that the reason they are using Cialis to treat BPH was to extend the patent past 2017? Any truth to that rumor?
There is no way the FDA should allow this drug over the counter. I am all for convenience, but this is a powerful drug, especially at the higher doses. Just wait until some 25 year old takes 50 mg and strokes out. I am not a big FDA fan, but in this case I hope safety wins out. Now, generic competition, I am all for that.
Big changes in the PDE5 market coming up:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/investor/2013/12/20/pfizers-expiring-viagra-patent-adversely-affects-other-drugmakers-too/"Owing to generic intrusion, the global market for branded erectile dysfunction drugs is forecast to
decline at a compounded annual rate of 4.5% from 2013 to 2019."
"A recent report published by Transparency Market Research has cast a pall on the future profitability of the PDE5 inhibitor sex drug class, forecasting that annual sales of sexual dysfunction drugs will fall from $4.3 billion in 2012 to $3.4 billion in 2019. The study authors opine that the loss of Viagra’s patent exclusivity in Canada, Asia and Europe last year will weaken drug makers’ lock on pricing power in coming years."
"Cialis and Levitra aren’t operating in a vacuum, as low-cost versions of Viagra will adversely affect their ability to raise drug prices going forward:
generic firms plan to capture Viagra share by discounting their me-too versions of sildenafil up to 90% less per pill: in the U.K., the price for drugs containing sildenafil have fallen from approximately £10 ($15.30) for branded Viagra to about £1 ($1.53) per pill, according to the European Generic Medicines Association."
Interestingly, Lilly is already poising for the OTC version, but like you said there are some big hurdles imo:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304587704579588442314255198"Cialis maker Eli Lilly & Co. has struck
a licensing deal allowing French drug maker Sanofi SA to sell a nonprescription version of the pill in major markets if regulators approve—"
"But the OTC project could face hurdles, including safety concerns. Sanofi will have to demonstrate to government drug regulators that men can correctly decide whether to take the drug—and use it safely—without a doctor's guidance. Cialis, like Viagra,
can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure if it is taken with certain heart and blood-pressure medications, causing fainting or even death, among other adverse events linked to the drugs."
