Last week, Bayer received regulatory approval of Levitra in Japan, making it the 83rd country in which Levitra has been approved.
"The speed and breadth of Levitra launches throughout the world and the excellent global brand management are prime examples of Bayer Pharma's focus on driving growth of our key brands," said Dr. Wolfgang Plischke, Head of Bayer HealthCare AG Pharmaceutical Division.
In addition, regulatory authorities in Canada approved Levitra in March. Since the global launch of Levitra in 2003, sales have reached euro 200 million.
First quarter worldwide Bayer sales of Levitra have reached euro 66 million, double that of 2003 fourth quarter sales of euro 33 million.
Since its introduction in the U.S. in August 2003, Levitra has proven to be one of the most important and successful new pharmaceutical product introductions in the last two years.
Since entering the market, dispensed prescriptions for Levitra have approached one million in the U.S. alone.
The Levitra brand is gaining significant awareness internationally, through strong marketing initiatives that have increased both awareness and interest in Levitra. This has translated into a large percentage of men asking their physicians about Levitra-and subsequently, high levels of patients satisfaction(1).
Major PDE-5 markets have expanded between 20 to 50 percent since global introduction of Levitra and tadalafil(2), and in the U.S., physician visits for ED have increased by 78 percent(3). "Our goal is to build the foundation for the future," said Plischke, "We have focused on growing and establishing Levitra in the market.
We are confident that Levitra provides the fast-acting, reliable treatment that men are looking for in ED therapy and acceptance of Levitra continues to increase worldwide.
With the announcement of new clinical data, continued patient and physician education, and through innovative marketing initiatives we believe Levitra will achieve sustained success."