Pfizer to sell Viagra online
A police officer shows fake Viagra that was seized in raids at a press conference in Beijing in September 2005.
The drug company Pfizer announced Monday it would start selling Viagra online.
The move is aimed at combating the sale of counterfeit versions of the erectile dysfunction pill sold through online pharmacies, CNN reported.
Men will still need a prescription to get Viagra delivered to their home, but they will no longer have to deal with a pharmacist in the store, which causes some men embarassment.
Viagra is Pfizer's most counterfeited product due to its high price and the embarrassment some men experience buying the little blue pills, the LA Times reported.
It is also its best sellers, posting $2 billion in worldwide revenue last year.
“We have seen counterfeit medicines manufactured in filthy and deplorable conditions," said Matthew Bassiur, Pfizer's vice president of global security.
Tests conducted on fake Viagra have contained pesticides, wallboard, commercial paint and printer ink, he said.
Fox News reported Pfizer appeared to the first company to take the pharmacist out of the purchase.
Former White House Drug Policy Counsel Michael Barnes, managing partner at DCBA Law & Policy, says direct selling would help the drug company to make even more profits.
“Assuming things go well for Pfizer, others may follow suit. What they are doing is consistent with internet pharmacies."