A potential problem. What happens after the departure of "Viagra" from Russia

Alexander Dybin

"Viagra" in Russia was not only a well-known drug from the popular jokes, but also an exceptionally profitable business.

According to statistics, in 2022, 9.4 million packages worth 7.3 billion rubles were sold in the country. 168 packs were bought for 1000 adult men. As representatives of pharmacy chains told Novye Izvestia, there is now a slight excitement around this drug, people are trying to buy while there are still remnants. But, according to pharmacists, when the original "Viagra" is over, there will be no problems with such drugs.

"There is no total shortage of drugs for potency on the market. But in connection with the departure of Viagra, of course, there was an increased demand for it," says Victoria Lesnikova, commercial director of the Association of New Independent Pharmacies AnnA, "but this is more due to the fact that some buyers were adherents of this brand. In Russia, more than 40 names of analogues have been registered, where the substance is sildanophil – the active ingredient of Viagra. We have a lot of domestic manufacturers. Therefore, there is no shortage in the market from the word at all".

According to the expert, the Russian analogues of "Viagra" are three to 3-4 times cheaper than the original drug.

In addition, there are medicines on the market with another active ingredient of a new generation – tadalafil. So on the websites of Russian pharmacies, you can still find "Viagra" worth from 800 to 1200 rubles per tablet (depending on the dosage). Russian drugs with sildanafil cost 200-400 rubles per package, which usually contains 4 tablets.

"Viagra is not such a new drug on the market now, there are newer drugs that last longer and do not have the side effects that sildanafil has," says Victoria Lesnikova. - Our domestic manufacturers have taken care of this for a long time. And recently they have been successfully replacing Viagra. Including thanks to the price".

For pills for potency - through a doctor

Candidate of Medical Sciences, urologist of the clinic "Source" Roman Aletin, in an interview with the correspondent of Novye Izvestia, also noted that there will be no problems with the replacement of "Viagra", but there are still nuances. For example, Russian drugs have only two dosage options, whereas Western drugs have three, which narrows the room for maneuver for the doctor.

"Viagra” is not a bad thing," the expert says, "but it needs to be used correctly. Initially, it was a drug for the cardiovascular system. Only later was its effect discovered as increasing potency. But the effect on the cardiovascular system still remained. And therefore it is necessary to be careful with this issue. Drugs that increase potency are naturally in demand. People easily buy it themselves and perkily eat it, and then they can have significant problems up to heart attacks. Like any gun, it shoots at the target, but there is always a recoil. Selection, dosage, it all depends on the characteristics of the patient. Sometimes the cardiologist says: "guys, Viagra works, but unfortunately, it cannot be used in case you have cardiovascular matters".

Then they try to switch to herbal preparations, or there are drugs that are injected directly into the penis. But there are psychological barriers here, since you need to prick yourself with a needle. Not everyone can do it. Therefore, the selection of the drug, the dosage should go only through the doctor".

Another aspect of the transition to analogues is a large number of dietary supplements, as well as a variety of drug formulations.

In the case of "Viagra", the result is always understandable, both in terms of effect and side effect. Doctors do not have such a clear picture of new drugs yet.

"Our men tend to go to the doctors at the last moment, as they say, when the spear in the back begins to interfere with sleep", - says Roman Aletin. - There are no problems with medicines of such a plan on the market. You can find everything. But "Viagra" is stuck on people's ears, it's a well-known brand. A man goes to the pharmacy and says: give me Viagra. And they answer him "no." And then it begins. A pharmacist needs to sell something to a person, which says "to increase potency". Some of these drugs belong to dietary supplements. In the West, two-thirds of this list is simply prohibited for use, since the effectiveness has not been proven. There are some magic roots, beaver jets and the like. People go to these derbies. In addition, you can just run into a fake. We cannot predict the effectiveness of the action: there is a certain amount of active substance in the tablet, the rest is a filler. It is selected and calculated so as not to affect the action of the main substance. What's in the fake? There are substances that react with the drug, and its effect is reduced. Pharmaceutical companies say that if you suspect a fake, then send this drug to us, we will conduct a chemical analysis. But who's going to bother with that? In addition, drugs with sildanafil, which are produced here, as far as I know, 80% consist of basic components that are manufactured in China. What will happen to this in the context of sanctions? There are still more questions than answers".

Victoria Lesnikova from the Association of Independent Pharmacies notes that in recent years the demand for drugs for potency is growing, and their audience is getting younger.

"Unfortunately, this category of drugs is growing and even more, getting younger", - the expert says, - "this is due not so much to the popularity of the same "Viagra", but to the lifestyle. Until recently, the main buyers were men 50 plus, but now the 25 plus category is noticeable. Sedentary lifestyle, nutrition, all this has a very strong effect".