PFIZER TO LAUNCH GENERIC VIAGRA PILL AS PATENT ENDS

The little blue pill that has helped millions of men in the bedroom is turning white. Drugmaker Pfizer is launching its own cheaper generic version of Viagra rather than lose most sales when the impotence pill gets its first generic competition next week.

Pfizer Inc. will begin selling the white pill at half the $65-a-pill retail price on Monday, when its patent-protected monopoly ends. Generic maker Teva Pharmaceuticals can start selling its version then, but isn’t disclosing the price.

Many more generics go on sale next summer, which will steadily slash the price of generics.

“Patients are paying fortunes. When generic Viagra comes out, they will be very happy,” said Dr. Nachum Katlowitz, a urologist at New York’s Staten Island University Hospital.

Launched in 1998, Viagra was the first pill for impotence.

In January, the drugmaker will offer two new discount programs and increase its copayment card discounts. Uninsured men can get brand-name Viagra half off through an innovative online home delivery program, Pfizer Direct. Many insured patients will be able to get a month’s prescription for as little as a $20 copayment.

“This is the most comprehensive pricing and marketing response I’ve seen to a generic,” said Erik Gordon, a pharmaceuticals analyst at the University of Michigan’s business school. “It’s unprecedented.” — The Associated Press ●●●