Sanofi-Aventis has teamed with Eli Lilly in a collaboration to market erectile-dysfunction drug Cialis (tadalafil) to US urologists.
According to Lilly spokesperson Lee Lang, the campaign hopes to “educate urologists nationwide by providing direct selling support for 2.5 mg and 5 mg doses, as well as for use on an ‘as needed’ basis.” Lang explains the decision, noting Sanofi’s “strong market position in urology.”
Sanofi-Aventis spokeswoman Noelle Boyd added, “Our sales force has developed trust among urologists over the years.” Sanofi-Aventis markets Uroxatral (alfuzosin HCI), for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and Taxotere (docetaxel), a chemotherapy indicated for prostate cancer, to urologists.
The partnership follows FDA approval in January for a once-daily use in 2.5 mg and 5 mg doses. Cialis is also known as the “36 hour pill” or the “weekend pill,” due to its longer duration of action in patients.
A spokesperson for Lilly told CNNMoney that the collaboration with Sanofi-Aventis began on March 13. On the consumer side, Cialis was recently ranked second in the Top 10 Pharmaceutical Branded Websites Driving Prescription Drug Requests, according to a Manhattan Research study.
