'Viagra misuse might make people go berserk'

RANCHI: Druggists in Jharkhand will not stock or sell Viagra, the path-breaking treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED), as they fear it may lead people to go "berserk and create law and order problems."

"We will not sale the drug as it may lead to some people going berserk and creating law and order problems," said Amar Sinha, general secretary of the Jharkhand Chemist and Druggist Association (JCDA).

Suman, a medical shop owner, added: "The common practice here is to sell medicines even without a prescription. But Viagra is supposed to be sold strictly on prescription. We fear many customers will demand Viagra without producing a prescription and that may create law and order problems."

Viagra (sildenafil citrate) manufacturer Pfizer is launching the drug in the Indian market this week, seven years after it was introduced in global markets.

"We have informed Pfizer not to launch the drug in Jharkhand. If our request is heeded, we will boycott the drug," said Sinha. Another druggist said: "If Viagra's consumption leads to any side effects, we will be in trouble for having sold it without prescription."

Sinha said that the state's medical shops and wholesale dealers could have made a good profit by selling Viagra. "But it does not mean we should risk lives of people. We cannot measure everything in terms of profit and loss," he said.

The druggists pointed out that many cough syrups were already being misused in the state as many youngsters were addicted to consuming them as intoxicant.

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