Pfizer prepares to take on Maxigra, Polpharma's answer to Viagra

Maxigra - as the new drug is called - is based on a chemical substance called sildenafil that enhances erection. The only problem is that sildenafil is the main ingredient of the original Viagra, and it has been patented by Pfizer, but Polish scientists managed to invent a different synthesis method that allows Warsaw-based pharmaceutical producer Polpharma to produce a similar chemical but which side steps the need to pay license fees. However, the Viagra producer has a different opinion, and has begun legal proceedings against Polpharma. The stakes are high, as Poles spend $3 million a year on Viagra, and the market is growing. There can be little doubt that the Polish drug will be highly competitive in price, and would no doubt capture a slice of the annual $1 billion global market for this type of product. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 6) D.W.