CRED NPM

06/11/2024

Understanding the Risk Profile

• Health authorities raised the association of erectile dysfunction (ED) with more serious conditions & the risk that treating ED without a doctor could delay diagnosis of such conditions as cardiovascular disease and diabetes • However men see ED as an embarrassing sexual problem and didn’t associate it with their general health state • Only 30% of men with ED seek treatment through their physician. Of those who seek treatment, many wait more than two years before first discussing their symptoms with their physician • Whilst Viagra remained Rx there was limited opportunity to directly engage and educate men around the causes of ED • For men who did not seek treatment, there was a strong association with a belief that ED was due to stress, the need for a healthier lifestyle, or that using medicine to treat ED was dangerous

The Organisation for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs

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Understanding the Risk Profile (2)

• The European Commission identified a number of barriers to men’s uptake of health services, including, among others, a lack of understanding of the process of making physician appointments, negotiating with predominantly female receptionists, and lacking the vocabulary required to discuss sensitive sexual issues. • Another barrier to access to Viagra® in many markets was cost, driven by national health policies around government expenditure. Since ED is considered neither “life threatening” nor a cause of “physical pain,” treatments have been perceived as “lifestyle drugs” that improve quality of life but do not save or prolong it and, therefore, are not essential. SOLUTION: Switching Viagra offers the ability to educate men directly via DTC advertising and health education to ensure that the association with more serious conditions is well understood and to drive more men into the legitimate healthcare system (pharmacy)

The Organisation for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs

24

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