« March 2007

Weekender" Cialis promises China marital bliss
March 29, 2007

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Eli Lilly & Co., maker of impotence drug Cialis, hopes that Chinese couples who might resort to traditional aphrodisiacs or divorce court to resolve sexual problems will seek marital bliss with its own remedy.

The U.S. drugmaker launched a marketing campaign for Cialis in the world's most populous country on Thursday with the release of a survey showing that 45 percent of middle-aged Chinese couples had experienced erectile dysfunction problems.

Since only one-third of those couples had thought about seeking treatment, Lilly believes that efforts to boost awareness of the problem would increase sales of Cialis, whose long-lasting effects have given it the nickname "the weekender."

"This drug is effective, because men are like light bulbs. They can be turned on and off easily. Women are like irons, they need a long time to heat up, but also a long time to cool down," said psychologist Qiu Xiaolan, brought in as part of Lilly's media campaign to educate the public.

Cialis, which has been distributed to 5,000 Chinese pharmacies this month, is effective for up to 36 hours, longer than rival drugs on the market, Lilly says.

"It's a longer window of opportunity," Eli Lilly China President Jorg Ostertag told a news briefing.

About 35 million Chinese men suffer from some form of erectile dysfunction, Lilly said. Nearly 10 percent of these will eventually look for some sort of treatment, mainly in pharmacies.

 

 

Source: - http://www.sciam.com