There can also be variations in the bioavailability of a drug's active ingredient. It's not easy to understand exactly how much the typical customer pays for brand-name and generic sildenafil. For one thing, list prices don't truly represent the amount that customers pay for drugs.
- Generic sildenafil is typically 60-80% cheaper than branded Viagra.
- Buying in larger quantities may charge less per dose.
- Market competition influences sildenafil pricing trends.
- Some countries have regulated prices for erectile dysfunction medications.
Pharmacies discount the prices of medications, and consumers can get coupons from a variety of sources such as pharmaceutical companies and GoodRx.com. To make things even more complicated, insurers may not cover ED drugs, and even if they do they're not likely to pay for expensive brand names when generics are available. One thing is clear: Viagra's markup is consistently high.
What conditions does sildenafil treat?
But is this kind of price manipulation actually harmful? Yes, says University of Southern California health economist Geoffrey Joyce, PhD. The discounted prices of Viagra mask the reality that many customers don't know they can save money off the list prices of brand-name drugs, he told MedPage Today. "If you set a cash price high, there are some consumers who will pay that price." Low-income people without insurance are especially vulnerable to paying full price, he said: "The cash payer, the uninsured, has historically gotten screwed." (The list price of a 30-day supply of 50 mg of Viagra, per GoodRx.com, ranges from $2,468 to $3,099. The discount price is $2,013.70 across the board.) Viagra buyers who pay the Cadillac brand-name prices may also fail to get a bang for their super-sized buck.
3 Biggest Pharmacy Chains
As many as 50% of men who use sildenafil don't stick with it in the long term, University of Washington urologist Hunter Wessels, MD, told MedPage Today: "It doesn't work, or it has side effects, or they don't want to be on a medicine." Alternatives include other ED drugs or hard-core treatments such as penis injections or implants. Some men just give up, Wessels said. Researchers are trying to develop a Viagra 2.0 that will work better than the current ED treatment options. For now, though, even a price markup to beat all price markups is no guarantee that a man will get the sexual boost he seeks. He may just end up with a $2,013.70 hole in his bank account. According to GoodRx.com, the cheapest price in the San Diego area for six tablets of 100 mg generic sildenafil is $9.47 at Ralphs supermarkets with a free coupon. The least expensive price for the equivalent amount of brand-name Viagra is $404.26 at all 10 pharmacy outlets listed with a free discount -- a markup of 42 times. When It Comes to Humongous Markups, Viagra Stands Tall Viagra isn't alone in boosting its price in response to competition. For nearly 3 decades, researchers have chronicled the "generic competition paradox": Drugmakers actually boost the prices of their brand-name medications when cheaper generics enter the market. The most likely brand-name drugs to do this are those with high name recognition and intense generic competition, Seoane-Vazquez said.
| Product | Dosage | Quantity + Bonus | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kamagra | 100mg | 180 + 6 Pills | 436.79€ 415.99€ | |
| Viagra Generic | 100mg | 120 + 6 Pills | 149.50€ 142.38€ | |
| Kamagra Soft Tabs | 100mg | 84 + 4 Pills | 233.05€ 221.95€ | |
| Kamagra | 100mg | 32 Pills | 121.24€ 115.47€ | |
| Viagra Generic | 200mg | 30 + 2 Pills | 83.07€ 79.11€ | |
| Viagra Generic | 50mg | 90 + 6 Pills | 107.37€ 102.26€ | |
| Viagra Generic | 150mg | 30 + 2 Pills | 72.32€ 68.88€ | |
| Viagra Generic | 100mg | 270 + 10 Pills | 270.47€ 257.59€ | |
| Kamagra Polo | 100mg | 180 + 8 Pills | 446.52€ 425.26€ | |
| Kamagra Polo | 100mg | 60 + 4 Pills | 189.39€ 180.37€ | |
| Kamagra Polo | 100mg | 32 Pills | 125.88€ 119.89€ |
(Viagra fits this description.) Other types of drugs are less likely to raise their prices in response to generics.
- Sildenafil prices may differ based on the strength (25mg, 50mg, 100mg).
- Therapeutic formulations can impact treatment costs.
- Patient assistance programs might offer discounts.
- Price sensitive consumers seek affordable generic options.
These, he said, include drugs such as biologics with limited competition, drugs used in hospitals and physician offices, and drugs with relatively low name recognition such as some antibiotics. In a bit of good news for consumers, the generic competition paradox phenomenon appears to be less common than it used to be, according to researchers with StoneTurn, a consulting firm.
How much is Viagra per pill?
Compare generic Viagra (sildenafil) prices from accredited international online pharmacies, U.S. mail-order pharmacies, and discount coupon programs. The lowest available price for generic Viagra (sildenafil) 100 mg is . 30 Tablets in ZIP Code 10605 - Edit Sign up for free price alerts for this drug. Ships worldwide except Canada from 6 countriesStandard shipping: $14.95 (Free for first order)$0.31 per tablet(for 88 tablets)$0.31 per tablet (for 88 tablets)Standard shipping: $14.95 (Free for first order)Ships worldwide except Canada from 6 countries.
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Ships worldwide except Canada from 6 countries Ships worldwide from MauritiusStandard shipping: $9.95*Additional import duty fees detected at checkout.$5.25 per tablet(for 4 tablets)$5.25 per tablet (for 4 tablets)Standard shipping: $9.95Ships worldwide from Mauritius. *Additional import duty fees detected at checkout. Ships worldwide from MauritiusStandard shipping: $9.95*Additional import duty fees detected at checkout.$2.25 per tablet(for 12 tablets)$2.25 per tablet (for 12 tablets)Standard shipping: $9.95Ships worldwide from Mauritius. Ships worldwide from United StatesStandard shipping: $9.95*Additional import duty fees detected at checkout.$7.00 per tablet(for 4 tablets)$7.00 per tablet (for 4 tablets)Standard shipping: $9.95Ships worldwide from United States. Ships worldwide from United StatesStandard shipping: $9.95*Additional import duty fees detected at checkout.$3.33 per tablet(for 12 tablets)$3.33 per tablet (for 12 tablets)Standard shipping: $9.95Ships worldwide from United States. They examined 78 drugs whose patents expired from 2009 to 2020 and found that their prices tend to stabilize after generic equivalents appear and not go up at a fast clip. This marks a significant shift from the past, the researchers argue in a 2021 study published in the International Journal of the Economics of Business. They write: "We believe the results in our paper reflect the brand-name pharmaceutical companies' acknowledgement of the ever-changing competitive landscape and their attempt to moderate price increases in response to the ever-growing market presence of generics." "Its price did keep moving up even after the generic entry, with the annualized rate of change at 9.5% before generic entry and 15.4% afterwards," study co-author Yong Xu, a managing director at StoneTurn, told MedPage Today. The price markup of Viagra since it gained generic competition appears to be an outlier among ED drugs specifically and prescription drugs in general. Thirty tablets of a typical 5-mg dose of tadalafil, for example, cost as little as $11.05 in the generic form sildenafil 25 mg tablets but jumps to at least $365.51 as brand-name Cialis, per GoodRx.com. (Both prices require coupons for discounts.) While that markup is hefty -- the brand-name is 33 times the price of the generic -- it's not in the league of Viagra's markup for a 30-day supplies of 100-mg pills. Eli Lilly and Company, the manufacturer of Cialis, didn't respond to questions from MedPage Today. Marsh, the director of research at GoodRx.com, said there's also notable demand for the brand-name versions of the thyroid drug levothyroxine and the blood thinner warfarin even though much-cheaper generics are available. Again, however, the markups aren't anywhere as near as extreme as Viagra's. Thirty tablets of 50 mcg levothyroxine and 30 tablets of 5 mg warfarin cost as little as $4 at Walmart for consumers without insurance, per GoodRx.com. The brand-name equivalents of these typical doses cost at least $45.41 for Synthroid and $75.79 for Coumadin, respectively. Pfizer Spins Off Viagra, and the New Company Struggles Why is Viagra's price so astronomically high? "They're obviously doing it because they can," suggested Johns Hopkins Medicine primary care physician Stephen Sisson, MD, who told MedPage Today that he tries to talk his patients out of paying for unnecessarily expensive brand-name drugs. MedPage Today sent a series of questions about the drug's pricing to the new maker of Viagra. In 2020, Upjohn -- a unit of Pfizer that manufactured Viagra and other off-patent drugs -- merged with drugmaker Mylan to become a new firm called Viatris. It now makes both brand-name and generic Viagra. Viatris declined to explain its pricing and instead sent a statement noting it "offers both branded and generic options for patients taking this medication. ..
| Brand | Dosage | Price per Tablet | Packaging Options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viagra | 50 mg | $10 | 30, 60, 90 tablets |
| Sildenafil Naturals | 100 mg | $8 | 30, 60 tablets |
| Revatio | 20 mg | $12 | 20, 50 tablets |
| Kamagra | 100 mg | $5 | 30, 60 tablets |
We encourage patients to work with their healthcare professionals to determine the best treatment option for them." The company also noted that eligible patients can save on brand-name Viagra via a "savings card." The reverse of the Viagra pricing question is this: Why do men still insist on paying exorbitant prices for a brand-name drug when they could save hundreds or thousands of dollars a year? "I do have some patients who insist on the brand name because they believe that it works better than cheaper alternatives," said Pastuszak. "As you can imagine, this is difficult to prove," especially considering "the potential for a placebo effect." Seoane-Vazquez said the high price itself can be a draw: Customers might think "there must be something in the drug that costs $50 instead of 50 cents." And, he said, "drugs often fail to work as intended. When a brand drug fails, patients may think that the drug does not work and try other alternatives.
How to get Sildenafil from Us?
Eli Lilly and Company, the manufacturer of Cialis, didn't respond to questions from MedPage Today. Marsh, the director of research at GoodRx.com, said there's also notable demand for the brand-name versions of the thyroid drug levothyroxine and the blood thinner warfarin even though much-cheaper generics are available. Again, however, the markups aren't anywhere as near as extreme as Viagra's. Thirty tablets of 50 mcg levothyroxine and 30 tablets of 5 mg warfarin cost as little as $4 at Walmart for consumers without insurance, per GoodRx.com. The brand-name equivalents of these typical doses cost at least $45.41 for Synthroid and $75.79 for Coumadin, respectively.
Check Pharmacy Prices
Pfizer Spins Off Viagra, and the New Company Struggles Why is Viagra's price so astronomically high? "They're obviously doing it because they can," suggested Johns Hopkins Medicine primary care physician Stephen Sisson, MD, who told MedPage Today that he tries to talk his patients out of paying for unnecessarily expensive brand-name drugs. MedPage Today sent a series of questions about the drug's pricing to the new maker of Viagra. In 2020, Upjohn -- a unit of Pfizer that manufactured Viagra and other off-patent drugs -- merged with drugmaker Mylan to become a new firm called Viatris. It now makes both brand-name and generic Viagra. When a generic drug fails, patients may think that something is wrong with the drug and ask to switch to the brand." He added that "brand names and higher prices are associated with value, and using expensive brands is a demonstration of wealth. So it is also possible that patients use the brand to demonstrate that they are wealthy." Viagra's worldwide revenue has dipped mightily since generics appeared, and the drug's unusual pricing strategy doesn't appear to be setting the world on fire for its new manufacturer. In fact, Viatris has struggled since its inception. In a sildenafil generic March 2021 article, Bloomberg called it "the worst-performing stock of the S&P 500 Index so far this year" and noted that "analysts are urging investors to steer clear." A gigantic markup is no boon for Viagra-centric consumers, either. But is this kind of price manipulation actually harmful?
Important Discussions with Your Healthcare Provider at SuamiSihat Clinic
There can also be variations in the bioavailability of a drug's active ingredient. It's not easy to understand exactly how much the typical customer pays for brand-name and generic sildenafil. For one thing, list prices don't truly represent the amount that customers pay for drugs. Pharmacies discount the prices of medications, and consumers can get coupons from a variety of sources such as pharmaceutical companies and GoodRx.com. To make things even more complicated, insurers may not cover ED drugs, and even if they do they're not likely to pay for expensive brand names when generics are available.
Use RxSaver
One thing is clear: Viagra's markup is consistently high. According to GoodRx.com, the cheapest price in the San Diego area for six tablets of 100 mg generic sildenafil is $9.47 at Ralphs supermarkets with a free coupon. The least expensive price for the equivalent amount of brand-name Viagra is $404.26 at all 10 pharmacy outlets listed with a free discount -- a markup of 42 times. When It Comes to Humongous Markups, Viagra Stands Tall Viagra isn't alone in boosting its price in response to competition. For nearly 3 decades, researchers have chronicled the "generic competition paradox": Drugmakers actually boost the prices of their brand-name medications when cheaper generics enter the market. Yes, says University of Southern California health economist Geoffrey Joyce, PhD. The discounted prices of Viagra mask the reality that many customers don't know they can save money off the list prices of brand-name drugs, he told MedPage Today. "If you set a cash price high, there are some consumers who will pay that price." Low-income people without insurance are especially vulnerable to paying full price, he said: "The cash payer, the uninsured, has historically gotten screwed." (The list price of a 30-day supply of 50 mg of Viagra, per GoodRx.com, ranges from $2,468 to $3,099. The discount price is $2,013.70 across the board.) Viagra buyers who pay the Cadillac brand-name prices may also fail to get a bang for their super-sized buck.
| Country | Average Price per Tablet | Variability Range | Common Brands |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $12 | $10 - $15 | Viagra, Revatio |
| India | $3 | $2.5 - $4 | SamPill, Himax |
| UK | $11 | $9 - $13 | Viagra, Sildenafil UK |
| Canada | $10 | $8 - $12 | Viagra, Kamagra |
As many as 50% of men who use sildenafil don't stick with it in the long term, University of Washington urologist Hunter Wessels, MD, told MedPage Today: "It doesn't work, or it has side effects, or they don't want to be on a medicine." Alternatives include other ED drugs or hard-core treatments such as penis injections or implants. Some men just give up, Wessels said. Researchers are trying to develop a Viagra 2.0 that will work better than the current ED treatment options.
Sildenafil Coupons, Copay Cards and Rebates
The most likely brand-name drugs to do this are those with high name recognition and intense generic competition, Seoane-Vazquez said. (Viagra fits this description.) Other types of drugs are less likely to raise their prices in response to generics. These, he said, include drugs such as biologics with limited competition, drugs used in hospitals and physician offices, and drugs with relatively low name recognition such as some antibiotics. In a bit of good news for consumers, the generic competition paradox phenomenon appears to be less common than it used to be, according to researchers with StoneTurn, a consulting firm. They examined 78 drugs whose patents expired from 2009 to 2020 and found that their prices tend to stabilize after generic equivalents appear and not go up at a fast clip.
COVID-19 and ED
This marks a significant shift from the past, the researchers argue in a 2021 study published in the International Journal of the Economics of Business. They write: "We believe the results in our paper reflect the brand-name pharmaceutical companies' acknowledgement of the ever-changing competitive landscape and their attempt to moderate price increases in response to the ever-growing market presence of generics." "Its price did keep moving up even after the generic entry, with the annualized rate of change at 9.5% before generic entry and 15.4% afterwards," study co-author Yong Xu, a managing director at StoneTurn, told MedPage Today. The price markup of Viagra since it gained generic competition appears to be an outlier among ED drugs specifically and prescription drugs in general. Thirty tablets of a typical 5-mg dose of tadalafil, for example, cost as little as $11.05 in the generic form sildenafil 25 mg tablets but jumps to at least $365.51 as brand-name Cialis, per GoodRx.com. (Both prices require coupons for discounts.) While that markup is hefty -- the brand-name is 33 times the price of the generic -- it's not in the league of Viagra's markup for a 30-day supplies of 100-mg pills. For now, though, even a price markup to beat all price markups is no guarantee that a man will get the sexual boost he seeks. He may just end up with a $2,013.70 hole in his bank account. Compare generic Viagra (sildenafil) prices from accredited international online pharmacies, U.S. mail-order pharmacies, and discount coupon programs. The lowest available price for generic Viagra (sildenafil) 100 mg is .
- Sildenafil prices vary significantly between brands and generics.
- Brand-name Viagra often costs more than generics.
- Online pharmacies may offer lower prices than local stores.
- Price fluctuations depend on dosage and packaging options.
30 Tablets in ZIP Code 10605 - Edit Sign up for free price alerts for this drug. Ships worldwide except Canada from 6 countriesStandard shipping: $14.95 (Free for first order)$0.31 per tablet(for 88 tablets)$0.31 per tablet (for 88 tablets)Standard shipping: $14.95 (Free for first order)Ships worldwide except Canada from 6 countries.
About sildenafil (generic Viagra)
Ships worldwide from 5 countriesFree standard shipping$5.00 per tablet(for 4 tablets)$5.00 per tablet (for 4 tablets)Free standard shippingShips worldwide from 5 countries. Ships worldwide from 5 countriesFree standard shipping$0.44 per tablet(for 88 tablets)$0.44 per tablet (for 88 tablets)Free standard shippingShips worldwide from 5 countries. Ships worldwide from CanadaStandard shipping: $9.95$11.81 per tablet(for 4 tablets)$11.81 per tablet (for 4 tablets)Standard shipping: $9.95Ships worldwide from Canada. Ships worldwide except Canada from 6 countries Ships worldwide from MauritiusStandard shipping: $9.95*Additional import duty fees detected at checkout.$5.25 per tablet(for 4 tablets)$5.25 per tablet (for 4 tablets)Standard shipping: $9.95Ships worldwide from Mauritius. *Additional import duty fees detected at checkout. Ships worldwide from MauritiusStandard shipping: $9.95*Additional import duty fees detected at checkout.$2.25 per tablet(for 12 tablets)$2.25 per tablet (for 12 tablets)Standard shipping: $9.95Ships worldwide from Mauritius. Ships worldwide from United StatesStandard shipping: $9.95*Additional import duty fees detected at checkout.$7.00 per tablet(for 4 tablets)$7.00 per tablet (for 4 tablets)Standard shipping: $9.95Ships worldwide from United States. Ships worldwide from United StatesStandard shipping: $9.95*Additional import duty fees detected at checkout.$3.33 per tablet(for 12 tablets)$3.33 per tablet (for 12 tablets)Standard shipping: $9.95Ships worldwide from United States. Ships worldwide from 5 countriesFree standard shipping$5.00 per tablet(for 4 tablets)$5.00 per tablet (for 4 tablets)Free standard shippingShips worldwide from 5 countries. Ships worldwide from 5 countriesFree standard shipping$0.44 per tablet(for 88 tablets)$0.44 per tablet (for 88 tablets)Free standard shippingShips worldwide from 5 countries.
See also:
Viatris declined to explain its pricing and instead sent a statement noting it "offers both branded and generic options for patients taking this medication. .. We encourage patients to work with their healthcare professionals to determine the best treatment option for them." The company also noted that eligible patients can save on brand-name Viagra via a "savings card." The reverse of the Viagra pricing question is this: Why do men still insist on paying exorbitant prices for a brand-name drug when they could save hundreds or thousands of dollars a year? "I do have some patients who insist on the brand name because they believe that it works better than cheaper alternatives," said Pastuszak. "As you can imagine, this is difficult to prove," especially considering "the potential for a placebo effect." Seoane-Vazquez said the high price itself can be a draw: Customers might think "there must be something in the drug that costs $50 instead of 50 cents." And, he said, "drugs often fail to work as intended.
Why do I need to know my blood pressure?
When a brand drug fails, patients may think that the drug does not work and try other alternatives. When a generic drug fails, patients may think that something is wrong with the drug and ask to switch to the brand." He added that "brand names and higher prices are associated with value, and using expensive brands is a demonstration of wealth. So it is also possible that patients use the brand to demonstrate that they are wealthy." Viagra's worldwide revenue has dipped mightily since generics appeared, and the drug's unusual pricing strategy doesn't appear to be setting the world on fire for its new manufacturer. In fact, Viatris has struggled since its inception. In a sildenafil generic March 2021 article, Bloomberg called it "the worst-performing stock of the S&P 500 Index so far this year" and noted that "analysts are urging investors to steer clear." A gigantic markup is no boon for Viagra-centric consumers, either. Ships worldwide from CanadaStandard shipping: $9.95$11.81 per tablet(for 4 tablets)$11.81 per tablet (for 4 tablets)Standard shipping: $9.95Ships worldwide from Canada.
- Online pharmacies often sell sildenafil at reduced prices.
- Ensure online sources are licensed for safe purchasing.
- Be cautious of counterfeit sildenafil which can be cheaper.
- Price comparison tools help find the lowest sildenafil costs.