Swiss against health cover for Viagra
Some 77% of Swiss polled by the IPSO institute say they do not wanthealth insurers to pay for Pfizer's impotence drug Viagra (sildenafil), and only 16% say they should, according to the Swiss magazine Facts.
In March, the Association of Swiss Health Insurers said that paying for Viagra and for Roche's antiobesity treatment Xenical (orlistat) could cost Swiss insurers up to 500 million Swiss francs ($336.6 million) annually and push up insurance premiums 2%-3%.
Viagra and Xenical have been Switzerland's fastest-selling prescription drugs since they were introduced in 1998, notes Bloomberg News. Pfizer sold 530,000 Viagra pills, or one for every 6.4 Swiss men, at about 10 francs each in its first six months on the market.
This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.
Login to your accountTry before you buy
Free
7 day trial access
- All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
- Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
- Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.
Become a subscriber
£820
Or £77 per month
- Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
- Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
- Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
- Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
- Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription
The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed
Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK
Today's issue
Company Spotlight
Copyright © The Pharma Letter 2025 | Headless Content Management with Blaze