Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (Ranbaxy) announced the launch of its brand, Forzest (Tadalafil) in India. Forzest is the most recently approved prescription medicine for the treatment of Erectile Dysfunction (ED) in men.

Currently, the available oral specific medication for management of ED is Sildenafil which is valued at Rs 70 Cr in India. In the case of Sildenafil, the pill has to be taken one hour before, since Forzest has an advantage over Sildenafil in terms of longer therapeutic window as it acts faster and more importantly can be taken any time up to 36 hours in advance. Given these advantages, Tadalafil gives “freedom of choice” and has been called as the weekend pill, an official release said.

Erectile Dysfunction is a seriously under-diagnosed condition, which largely goes untreated due to embarrassment of patients. It is estimated that about 150 million people suffer from ED and about 9 out of every 10 men do not seek treatment. In India, it is estimated that about 50 million patients suffer from ED. Studies also indicate that men with diabetes have 3-fold higher incidence of ED and 50 per cent of them develop the condition within 10 years of being diagnosed with diabetes.

Commenting on the product launch, Sanjeev I. Dani, regional director, India operations, Ranbaxy, said, “Introduction of Forzest will provide Indian doctors with best-in-class and contemporary therapeutic option for management of Erectile Dysfunction, which also gives greater time window to the patients”.