Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is defined as the inability to attain or maintain a penile erection when sexually aroused. The causes for ED vary from the physical ones such as Heart Disease, Hypertension, Diabetes, High Cholesterol and Obesity to the psychological ones including Stress, Anxiety, Guilt, Alcoholism, etc. The treatment options for ED are oral medications, self-injections, urethral suppositories, penis pumps, surgeries and implants. Oral medications are the norm in the treatment for the ED as other approaches are required in rare cases and are more discomforting. With the advent of ‘Viagra’ in 1998, the disgruntled couples all over the world took a breath of relief. Since its invention, Viagra has been one of the fastest-selling drugs in the history.

The chemical name of the active ingredient in ‘Viagra’ is Sildenafil. It was discovered by a team of scientists at Pfizer. Originally, it was proposed as a treatment for various cardiovascular diseases. Soon, it found its niche in the treatment of Erectile Dysfunction. Pfizer patented this miraculous drug under a marketing-friendly name ‘Viagra’. For obvious reasons, Pfizer charged the customers heavily for this drug. It is no surprise that many counterfeit versions of ‘Viagra’ began surfacing in the market through the Internet. These versions were generally called ‘Generic Viagra’.

In 2013, the 15-year patent owned by Pfizer expired. As a result, the drug became available for generic reproduction. Which means, other pharmaceutical companies are permitted to produce Sildenafil products. The product name ‘Viagra’ and the appearance of the tablet is trademarked by Pfizer. This prevents the other manufacturers from using the name ‘Viagra’ and the classic appearance of the pill. They have to sell their product using the original name of the drug, Sildenafil. This coupled with the fact that during the active period of the patent, the term ‘Generic Viagra’ was widely seen with skepticism makes it difficult for the generic manufacturers to attract the customers.

Today, when you buy a Viagra pill, what you are mostly paying for is the brand value. The differences between the compositions and effects of a Viagra pill produced by Pfizer and a generic Viagra or sildenafil pill produced by other manufacturers are virtually non-existent. As the awareness spreads among the people, more and more individuals are shifting towards

cheaper yet equally potent generic Viagra pills. The highly competitive market of the generic medicine makes it sure that the prices of the generic Viagra stay in the lower range. The increasing popularity of the generic Viagra has forced the Pfizer itself to enter the market with its own generic Viagra product. Witnessing the company that ushered the original drug into the world has entered the generic market itself; it is a no-brainer that generic Viagra is the most loveable ED treatment nowadays.