Levitra Going after Dissatisfied Men
Less
than a month after securing Food and Drug Administration
approval for its erectile dysfunction drug Levitra,
pharmaceutical company partners Bayer and GlaxoSmithKline
officially unveiled "Tackling Men's Health,"
a national education program.
Levitra is the first rival
to Pfizer's ultra-successful drug Viagra,
which had a five-year head start in the erectile
dysfunction category and $1.74 billion in sales
last year. "Tackling Men's Health"
is part of an estimated $50 million ad campaign
for Levitra that includes the drug's three-year,
$18 million sponsorship with the NFL. Components
of the campaign include a dedicated Web site
(tacklingmenshealth.com); an 18-page "Playbook"
that covers a range of men's health issues;
public service-type announcements to air during
the season at several NFL stadiums; and Mr.
Ditka himself on a promotional tour to NFL markets.
Bayer and GSK are aggressively
advertising the drug. Purposefully or not, a
Levitra print ad has appeared on a phone kiosk
on the corner of Third Ave. and 42nd St. in
New York City, where Pfizer's headquarters are
located. The pharmaceutical companies also took
individual sponsorships for Levitra with eight NFL teams that include signage at
their respective stadiums.
But to make a dent in Viagra's sales and reputation, the partner companies
are banking on two sets of numbers: the estimated
120 million fans who watch NFL games each week,
and the 80% of men who suffer from some form
of erectile dysfunction but fail to seek medical
help.
Both drugs will have yet another competitor
when Eli Lilly's Cialis, expected to receive
FDA approval later this year, hits the market.
Cialis' claim of differentiation is that it
lasts longer than both Viagra and Levitra.
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