Viagra swells Pfizer's sales in Romania by $3 million

Seventeen months after its launch in Romania, Viagra has reached among the top 30 best selling drugs on the domestic pharmaceutical market.

“Viagra sales in Romania last year amounted to $1.2 million, and we are planning at least 20% in increase for this year. Ever since its launch and up to now, we have sold $3 million’s worth in Viagra,” Razvan Vartejaru, head of the pharmaceutical division of Pfizer Romania, told Ziarul Financiar.

The medicine treating the “blue syndrome” is a discovery of the world’s leading drug maker, the US-based Pfizer Company.

The Romanian medicine market is estimated at some $450 million every year, which means Viagra has managed to attract 0.3% of the Romanians’ pharmaceutical expenses.

The latest research shows that the average drug consumption in Romania is worth $19/capita, much lower than the $70/capita registered in the nearby countries. As for the West, the average drug consumption per capita exceeds $400.

Along with its value, the domestic pharmaceutical market is different from the mature ones due to its structure. Whereas people focus on preventive medicines in the West, Romanians allot money for drugs only when their health shows signs of deterioration.

That is why Viagra’s success on a market so overcome by antibiotics and antiviral drugs can be considered a real surprise. The price per pill is $8 (232,000 lei at the current exchange rate), which means that Romanian men have bought some 400,000 pills so far.

“The pill consumption per 1000 men is still low compared with other countries in the East, but it’s encouraging, though. If it weren’t for those illegal imports, Pfizer Romania would have registered higher Viagra sales,” Vartejaru claims.

The active substance contained by Viagra was discovered by chance, during a research for finding a cure for coronary vascular deficiencies.

The launch in Romania was backed by a promotional campaign, along with specialised seminars.

Pfizer Romania estimates 40% increase in sales in 2001, to $17 million. Our target is to become one of the top three players on the Romanian drug market, Razvan Vartejaru said.

At present, the Romanian drug market leader is the GSK Group (GlaxoSmithKline), following the international merger of GlaxoWelcome and SmithKline Beecham and the acquisition of Europharm Brasov from the internal market, with Sicomed Bucharest and Antibiotice Iasi as runners up.

Pfizer opened its first office in Romania in 1993 and preferred to keep a low profile until 2000. At the moment, it is a medium player on the domestic market.