Pfizer will begin offering online
sales of their popular selling erectile dysfunction treatment. The company
believes this will help combat online sales of counterfeit Viagra. While a
prescription will still be required, this is supposed to help men avoid "embarrassment"
by saving them a trip to the pharmacy to pick up the medication. Currently
there are dozens of online sites that sell the little blue pill for a fraction
of the price without a prescription. Unfortunately, these pills are often
counterfeit containing very little of the active ingredient and even
potentially harmful components. Pfizer believes by offering discounts to online
consumers they can try to push out the black market vendors.
Photo: Niko J. Kallianiotis for The New York Times (link to article) |
Personally, I think cutting out the
pharmacist sets a horrible precedent in the pharmaceutical industry for several
reasons. Of course, I'm concerned by anything that threatens the role of the
pharmacist in a retail setting. I don't know where I'm going to end up after
pharmacy school and I don't want to see pharmacists taken out of more and more
patient interactions. It may just be Viagra today, but what other medications
will be available directly from the manufacturer if this is allowed? Secondly,
this could potentially be dangerous. Many people think of Viagra as a harmless
treatment for erectile dysfunction akin to the "treatments" we see
advertised on late night TV. Viagra is a serious drug with serious side effects
and the potential for deadly interactions with other commonly prescribed drugs.
For example: many men with erectile dysfunction are also on blood pressure
medications and these two mixed together can cause an unsafe, dramatic drop in
blood pressure that can even lead to cardiac arrest. That's great men still
need a prescription from their doctor to acquire this drug, but a doctor is not
a drug expert and may not catch potential drug interactions like a pharmacist
would. Pharmacists are also more accessible than physicians to answer patient
concerns and address patient issues on the spot.
Finally, I don't really think this
will stamp out the problem of counterfeit, black market Viagra. One of Pfizer's
main arguments is that patient embarrassment will be avoided. I can't speak
from personal experience, but I would think a patient that would be embarrassed
to pick this up from the pharmacy would be too embarrassed to bring this issue
up to their doctor in the first place. That's the nice thing about black market
drugs: you can order them without ever having to bring up your erectile
dysfunction to even a doctor. I work in a retail pharmacy and I have never had
a guy act embarrassed about picking up their Viagra. In fact, most of them act
proud (for lack of a better word). They should be proud that they can even
afford to take it, since insurance often doesn't cover it. Which brings me to
another point: the black market drugs are so much cheaper. Even with their
discounts Pfizer can't compete with the prices of the counterfeit Viagra.
In my opinion if Pfizer wants to help combat
black market sales of Viagra they need to educate their potential customers on
the dangers of counterfeit medications AND the danger of using a drug without
their doctor/pharmacists knowledge. Stick with what you know Pfizer. You keep
cranking out your little blue pill and let the pharmacists sell them.