How Pharma Is Cashing In on Sex

Date: 9 June 2010

A few years ago the humiliating commercials advertising ways for men to be more intimate despite their age were hard to avoid; it seemed like everywhere you turned, Viagra was being talked about. Now the sex drugs are making a comeback.

Just as Pfizer's (PFE) Viagra is about to lose patent protection (it goes off patent in 2012), other companies have decided that sex sells. (They wouldn't be wrong: Viagra brings in about $1.9 billion annually.)

One company that's jumping between the sheets is the California-based biotech Vivus (VVUS). While the company has been gaining increased notoriety for the obesity drug Qnexa that it's currently trying to get to pass muster with the FDA, it also has an erectile dysfunction drug in the works called avanafil. Some people might question why a company would bother with an ED drug when Viagra is so close to going generic, but Vivus seems to have an ulterior motive. The company has been testing the drug in diabetics -- a population of men that seems to have a higher instance of ED than most.

Avanafil has the potential to reach a market segment that Viagra doesn't really cater to and is growing leaps and bounds by the day as more than 1.6 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed each year.

Yet, Vivus isn't the only company that's trying to cash in on the sexier side of the pharmaceutical business. Japan's Shionogi Pharma is currently testing a spray that helps delay premature ejaculation -- a problem that 30% of men admit to suffering from. The condition is defined as ejaculation that occurs within one minute of penetration. The research so far suggests that the spray can help men last six times longer. The company is currently preparing to apply for approval with the FDA. But guys shouldn't get their hopes up yet: The testing done to measure the effectiveness of the spray is a bit subjective and might not live up to FDA standards.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals doesn't believe men should be the ones having all the fun; the company is currently trying to get approval for a Viagra for women called flibanserin. Flibanserin isn't a hormone treatment, but rather it affects a woman’s brain chemicals and was originally designed as an antidepressant. The drug has sparked a debate over whether the pill represents equality for women or if it's an attempt by the pharmaceutical industry to capitalize on a disputed disorder. An FDA advisory panel will decide on June 18 if pharmaceuticals are for her pleasure, too. Boehringer Ingelheim isn't in bed alone; Biosante Pharmaceuticals (BPAX) currently has a female-desire drug in late-stage trials called LibiGel.

Companies aren't only planning to profit off of the fun part of sex, but what comes after. A French company named HRA Pharma will face an FDA advisory committee on June 17 for a morning-after pill called elleOne that could potentially give Teva Pharmaceuticals' (TEVA) Plan B a run for its money (about $80 million annually). The current Plan B is conveniently available over-the-counter to women 17 years of age and over, but it can only be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex and becomes less reliable as the clock ticks down. Meanwhile, elleOne would be effective for a full five-day window, but has the caveat of needing a prescription. The advisory committee will decide whether the French drug is ready for approval.

Source: http://www.minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/drugs-pfizer-vivus-biosante-pharmaceuticals-teva/6/9/2010/id/28677