Australia "no" to Viagra PBS listing

Australia's federal Health Minister, Kay Patterson, has said thatPfizer's erectile dysfunction drug Viagra (sildenafil) will not be subsidized under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Last month, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee had recommended that Viagra be listed (Marketletter January 28), even though the panel had reportedly put the cost to the taxpayer at over three-and-a-half times the amount estimated by Pfizer in its submission.

The Minister said she was not dismissive of the problems faced by men suffering erectile dysfunction, but the cost of listing Viagra would be over A$100 million ($51.2 million) a year. Faced with difficult choices, the government had to ensure the sustainability of the PBS, she said.