Survey discloses surprising sales for impotency treatment
hows that the male impotency drug Viagra is the nation’s second-most prescribed medication. The revelation is especially surprising given the medication’s cost – about $10 a dose. That’s equal to about a week’s wages for the average Ukrainian.
The survey, conducted by Business Credit, included both over-the-counter and prescription drugs.
The only medication to outsell Viagra last year was Cefazolin, a generic drug manufactured in Ukraine by KyivMed Preparat. Cefazolin is a wide-spectrum antibiotic used to treat a variety of infections, according to Volodymyr Mitin, KyivMed Preparat’s marketing director. Viagra is produced by Pfizer, a U.S. pharmaceutical firm.
One ampul of Cefazolin costs Hr 7. Treatment, however, usually requires a series of injections over time, making the drug expensive for many people. While Ukrainians receive free medical care, they must generally pay for medications.
Several of the other drugs in the survey’s Top 10 bestsellers were also antibiotics.
Mitin said the rating gives an accurate picture of the general health of the Ukrainian people.
“The ranking speaks about the overall well-being of the country,” Mitin said. “For example, in the U.S. and other Western countries, the top-selling drugs are those that improve the quality of life, like vitamins and antidepressants,” whereas in Ukraine, antibiotics and other curative drugs are prominent in the ratings, Mitin said.
Viagra’s surprising strength in the Ukrainian market is primarily related to the effects of the Chernobyl disaster and environmental pollution, according to Aleksey Kachura, Pfizer’s product manager in Ukraine.
“Our statistics show that more than 50 percent of the male Ukrainian population older than 40 suffer from erectile dysfunction,” said Kachura, adding that Viagra’s popularity here has exceeded the company’s “boldest expectations.”
“Ukraine is the only country in the world where this drug has became so popular,” Kachura said. “In Russia, for example, Viagra is only in the top 20 most popular drugs.”
Viagra was first introduced in Ukraine in February 1999.
According to another rating firm, International Medical Statistics, Viagra was the single-most-prescribed drug in Ukraine during the first three months of this year, Kachura said.
Another factor affecting Viagra’s rise in popularity has been its availability.
In 1991, there was one pharmacy for every 7,800 residents. Today, there are 15,927 pharmacies nationwide – one for every 3,076 people.
Ukraine’s pharmaceutical market amounts to nearly $524 million a year, according to Derzhzovnishinform.
