AS BLACK MARKET BOOMS, JAPAN OKS viagra
Title: AS BLACK MARKET BOOMS, JAPAN OKS viagra , By: Herkovitz, Jon, Advertising Age International, 15248984, 02/08/99
Pfizer plans no initial direct marketing of popular drug
[tokyo] Pfizer is ready to bring its anti-impotence drug viagra to its biggest potential market outside the U.S., with a February or March launch planned for Japan and, once approved, China.
viagra has been a mainstay of the Japanese media for months and a substantial black market for the medication has grown in the country. Japan’s Health and Welfare Ministry approved viagra on Jan. 25. In China, Pfizer will compete against a new herbal drug called “Weige,” or Big Brother, priced at eight pills for $11 — far less than viagra .
Pfizer’s initial marketing plans in Japan include symposiums for doctors, as well as spreading medical information about viagra in journals and brochures for health care professionals. After about six months on the market, Pfizer will study direct marketing for viagra .
“We have no immediate plans to directly market viagra to consumers in Japan,” said Pfizer Japan spokesman Norimasa Harada. He said surveys by Pfizer and others show the potential market for viagra in Japan is about 6-7 million customers.
Pfizer had not been able to do any marketing in Japan prior to the health ministry’s approval of viagra because under the nation’s Pharmaceutical Affairs Law, unapproved drugs may not be advertised.
The company would not disclose the agency that will handle the viagra account in Japan. Pfizer uses both Dentsu and Hakuhodo for its various products in Japan.
Black market demand for viagra has been substantial, with single doses selling for $70 to $300. One of the main black market venues is hostess clubs frequented by businessmen on expense accounts.
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By Jon Herkovitz
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Source: Advertising Age International, 02/08/99, p2, 1p
