Made in Vietnam Viagra to make debut
HANOI - Vietnam will unveil its own low-cost version of Viagra this month, Xinhua reports. A pharmaceutical producer in Vietnam will launch the pill, Adagrin, targeting nearly three million Vietnamese men who suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence.
"We realise that a large number of Vietnamese men are affected with ED. No locally produced drugs and few imported ones to help them are now available in the domestic market," the ICA Pharmaceuticals said. "Adagrin will be available this month in hospitals and pharmacies with the retail price of 63,000 VND (US$4) per pill," the company said, noting that its product was being used on a trial basis in hospitals.
Nearly three million out of 40.3 million Vietnamese men are affected with ED. The Binh Dan Hospital in Ho Chi Minh city said it had received over 2,100 ED patients aged 18-78 between 2000 and 2002. To effectively treat the patients and prevent new cases, Vietnam's health ministry plans to disseminate information about ED, which is usually brought on by heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes or due to an injury or side effects of drugs. Over 150 million men worldwide are affected with ED.
Indo-Asian News Service - March 2, 2005
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