In Colombia, the government has refused to recognize Pfizer's patent onthe impotence drug Viagra (sildenafil), and has approved the sale of a copy version of the drug made by local firm Lafrancol SA under the brand name Eroxim, notes a Reuters report.
Jose Fernando Isaacs, head of Lafrancol's business and marketing division, says that sales of Eroxim, which is priced at about half the cost of Viagra, have already exceeded expectations. "Our product has all the same levels of quality and the same effects as Viagra, but with the advantage that we offer it at a lower and fairer price," he told Reuters.
Viagra was approved for sale in Colombia in 1998, but in January the government declined to give Pfizer a patent, with the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce arguing that the firm had already obtained patents on Viagra's active ingredient for use in other drugs earmarked for treatment of heart disease. The company has said it will take the government to court over the ruling.
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