Cialis Maker Wants to Sell It Over the Counter

Eli Lilly seeks change for impotence drug
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted May 28, 2014 6:07 PM CDT
Cialis Maker Wants to Sell It Over the Counter
Containers of the drugs Cialis and Cymbalta, made by Eli Lilly & Co., are pictured on shelf at Nora Apothecary Pharmacy in Indianapolis.   (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Cialis is already the world's best-selling impotence drug, and its makers hope to significantly ramp up sales by making it available over the counter, reports Reuters. Eli Lilly has struck a deal with French drug-maker Sanofi to sell a non-prescription version, assuming they first win the permission of health regulators in the US and elsewhere. Given its side effects such as a potential drop in blood pressure if taken with heart medicine, that's a "big if," says the Wall Street Journal. In any case, no OTC version would be out until patents expire in 2017. (Pfizer, meanwhile, is now selling Viagra online directly to patients, though they still need a prescription.)

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