Players In The Strong Medicine Industry

Collection of strong drug brands at a kiosk in the Jatinegara area, East Jakarta (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

The powerful drug industry has played an important role in shaping sex standards. The dimension of intercourse is a commodity that is used. Male anxiety is nurtured as discussed in “How the Industry“ Strong Medicine Shapes Collective Perceptions of Ideal Sex. ”Part of VOI's signature Series,“ Strong because of Drugs, ”in this article, we take a closer look at the big brands of strong drugs.

There was disappointment in Peter Dunn and Albert Wood when the drug they created failed clinical trials. In 1898, the two Pfizer scientists created sildenafil citrate. The drug with the pharmaceutical name Viagra was created to reduce high blood pressure and precrotic angina or chest pain that arises from coronary heart disease. Instead of lowering blood pressure, a 1993 clinical trial found that a drug by Dunn and Wood increased blood flow to the sexual organs.

Soon it was disappointed. Because, the drug they created is actually a solution to another health problem: erectile dysfunction. Pfizer also uses Viagra as another opportunity. In 1996, or seven years since the failed clinical trial, Pfizer patented sildenafil citrate in the United States (US). Viagra isn't just a solution. It is a major revolution in the field of erectile dysfunction treatment. Viagra is the first oral drug to successfully address the high problem of impotence in the US at that time.

You can't talk about Viagra without mentioning Doctor Nicholas Terret. Many people believe that Terret's name is the father of Viagra. The reason is that Terret is the person who first patented sildenafil citrate in England in 1991. At that time, Terret patented sildenafil citrate as a heart medicine. In 1998, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a marketing and selling license for Viagra - which has been named a drug brand - for an erectile dysfunction drug.

Money also poured out. Viagra has brought Pfizer more than £ 1 billion in one year. Viagra also manages to control 45 percent of the strong drug market share. This serious domination is not complete. Viagra is marketed with a smart move. Dorothy Wetzel is behind this cash flow. He is the person who started the Consumer Marketing Department at Pfizer. Its job is to oversee the first round of advertising.

There is one of the most iconic advertisements in the history of Viagra and Pfizer. The print ad featured an image of an elderly couple with the tagline "Let the Dance Begin!". Another iconic ad is a television show featuring former US presidential candidate Bob Dole as a character. In addition to iconic advertisements, Wetzel has managed to build on Viagra as a symbol. Viagra has an important role in popular culture. Quoted by drug.com, the popularity of Viagra among men at that time even matched the birth control pill among women who are famous as a symbol of freedom.

Protests against Viagra in the United States in 2018 (Commons Wikimedia)

Other drugs

Despite appearing as a major revolution, Viagra isn't quite perfect. Researchers continue to look for other, more ideal drugs. In 2003, Cialis was discovered. The main ingredient is tadalafil, a substance similar to sildenafil. The History of Cialis explains the benefits of Cialis. If the erection effect of Viagra lasts only four hours, Cialis is even more powerful. The effect can last up to 36 hours.

Like Viagra, Cialis was created by accident when the drug company that produces Cialis, Icos, began studying a PDE-5 enzyme inhibitor called IC351 in 1993. The term is the process by which all erectile dysfunction drugs work. Interestingly enough, if a timeline is drawn, Pfizer scientists were conducting clinical trials on sildenafil citrate and found that it caused heart patients to experience erections during clinical studies.

For Icos himself, the test carried out on the IC351 chemical compound was not intended for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. They didn't even know that IC351 had the same effect as sildenafil citrate. The first phase clinical trial for IC351 began in 1995. Two years later, the second phase clinical trial began. In that phase, Icos began conducting research on erectile dysfunction patients. This phase lasts two years until the third phase becomes final. The conclusion was reached. IC351 has been ordained as a decomposing agent for the next dysfunction problem.

The problem of sexual dysfunction is widespread. Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly lured by the money behind them. Bayer conducts a series of tests to 'challenge' Viagra on the market. They started research on vardenafil, a substance similar to sildenafil and tadalafil. The test showed its success in 2001. Bayer officially launched its brand of drug Levitra on the market in 2003 and has been approved by the FDA.

Various brands of strong drugs (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

Levitra is available in several doses: 2.5 mg, 5 mg 10 mg, and 20 mg. This medicine can be consumed before or after meals. Levitra claims to increase blood flow to the penis, which keeps it erect for hours. Like Viagra, Levitra has an effect of about four hours. Another good thing that Levitra promises is that it can reduce premature ejaculation. This ability cannot be found when a man uses Viagra or other drugs that contain sildenafil.

Indonesia is taking part in the strong drug industry. One of the biggest brands - judiciously established in the industry - is Hammer of Thor. This brand is an herbal supplement that is claimed to increase erection duration as well as stamina. More than that. Supplements in the form of capsules are also claimed to be able to increase the size of the penis.

Apart from oral medicine, Indonesian people are also familiar with foreign drugs - not drunk. Magic wipes, for example. This type is the most widely used by the community. A strong medicine seller in Jatinegara, East Jakarta told us this. Easy use and affordable prices are the reasons why magic wipes are a mainstay. One box of magic tissue containing six strands costs around Rp. 15 thousand.

Strong medicine shop in Jatinegara area, East Jakarta (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

Before strong drugs

Before strong drugs, men had various ways to improve performance in bed. During the Mataram Kingdom era, the royal men made use of a potion called Jalu Usada which consisted of a mixture of herbs such as kakas root, sunti pepper, lanang salt, teak wood charcoal, palm sugar and pinet. Before consuming the potion, they were accustomed to chanting the mantra: "The god of the weapon is akas-akas, less like acase, less like me, ora nana patine."

That fact was narrated by Kitab Serat Centhini VII Pupuh Dhandhanggula. The book was written by a prince who later became Sunan Paku Buwana V. Otto Sukatno, in Sex of the Prince (2002) describes the purpose of writing Serat Centhini as an attempt by the central power to expand the marginal tradition into the great Javanese tradition.

In ancient Greece and Rome, treatment was also carried out using herbal ingredients. Interestingly, men at that time believed the gods could take away their sexual power for several reasons. In medieval times, magic wars raged. Men at that time believed they had to burn a witch to restore their sexual power. Another problem that occurred at that time was the spread of infectious diseases.

Infographics (Ilham Amin / VOI)

Before Pfizer, Icos, or even Bayer, scientific efforts to treat erectile dysfunction had been made in the 19th century. Scientists try to cure impotence by bloodletting or siphoning dirty blood with leeches. Some time later there was a popular theory that in order to restore sexual function, a man must avoid sexual activity for a year. Other efforts, some researchers have also tried to cure sexual dysfunction with electric shocks. Unfortunately, all methods pay off.

In the 20th century, all branches of medicine began to develop rapidly. Starting from the 1950s, the most popular method of treating impotence was injection. The injection is given right into the penis. Painful way, of course. The effect is immediate and somewhat prominent. However, this method has several drawbacks. Erection does not occur as a reaction to male sexual desire. He is very dependent on drugs.

Next Article: A Place Where We Can Find Strong Medicine