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news.The AIDS Healthcare Foundation has said it will petition the Food and Drug Administration to stop Pfizer selling its blockbuster erectile dysfunction drug Viagra direct to consumers as an over-the-counter product.
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The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has moved to petition the FDA due to what it believes are questionable marketing tactics for Viagra, which encourages the recreational use of the drug.
It believes this may ultimately contribute to increased risks for individuals' exposure to sexually transmitted diseases including HIV, by people using erectile dysfunction drugs with other drugs such as crystal methamphetamine.
“The FDA has previously reprimanded Pfizer for its blatant and irresponsible direct-to-consumer marketing of Viagra. This is a drug that was FDA-approved to treat a diagnosed medical condition, not as a lifestyle supplement.
“The FDA has begun to strictly regulate cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in crystal methamphetamine in order to prevent abuse. In light of the widely-known recreational use of Viagra, the FDA ought to be similarly proactive and keep Pfizer's Viagra as a doctor-prescribed medication,” said president Michael Weinstein.
AHF has also filed a lawsuit against Pfizer over its alleged irresponsible marketing tactics and advertising for the company's drug. Pfizer has denied any wrongdoing and has said it will fight the lawsuit in court.