According to a report by the independent financial firm See Change Strategy LLC, the market for medicinal marijuana is already $1.7 billion a year – rivaling the sales figures for Viagra – despite being legally available to buy in stores in only seven American states.  Medicinal marijuana sales: Could they dwarf Viagra?|CBS

Finland is host this week to a so called Viagra dog called Springer from the Netherlands. He is, however, no ordinary sniffer hound. In addition to detecting various narcotics he also specializes in uncovering consignments of fake Viagra.
Viagra Dog Sniffs Out Fake Medicines

Interesting. A dog can tell the difference between true and fake Viagra?

Of course not. Certainly the dog is trained to sniff Viagra. But not much legitimate original Pfizer Viagra comes in the mail from foreign countries. And a large percentage of it is legal. In India legal generic Viagra, produced by large phamaceutical companies, can be had for pennies. In India it is probably more expensive to custom-produce fake Viagra then to just buy wholesale lots of the real thing Sildenafil Citrate, the generic version of Viagra.

Finns purchase some 44 million euros of fake drugs and medicines annually most of which are ordered via the internet and sent by air mail.

Finnish customs are engaging in a special campaign aimed at detecting fake drugs and Springer is their star performer. It’s his duty to look out for the potency drug Viagra from the mountain of post.

This is similar to the ethical problems of the  illegal music and movie download industry.

People want to get products more cheaply, or more easily (no doctor’s prescription, no embarrassment at the pharmacy). On the other hand, does Pfizer deserve the enormous profit for the scientific feat of having found this amazing drug?

”Consumers believe they receive what they ordered but this is not always the case,” notes Customs Chief Inspector Kirsi Taipale.-

Her view is echoed by Pasi Virta, Director at pharmaceuticals company Pfizer.

“Counterfeit products can contain narcotics or, on the other hand, no active agent at all,” he observes.

Her view is echoed by Pasi Virta, Director at pharmaceuticals company Pfizer.

“Counterfeit products can contain narcotics or, on the other hand, no active agent at all,” he observes.

Pfizer, of course, nourishes panic about generics being ineffective or dangerous.  FUD. Fear, uncertainty, and doubt. And, of course, they are not totally wrong. I would not trust anyone that sends generic Viagra out of a country where it cannot be obtained legally and cheaply.

India plans to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization alleging that the European Union allowed big pharmaceutical companies to use the bloc’s tough patent laws to have national customs agencies detain generic drugs in transit to developing countries, according to India’s commerce secretary.

On more than 20 occasions since late last year, border inspectors in the Netherlands and Germany have held up Indian medicines used to treat AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, heart conditions and other ailments, saying they violated patent laws in the EU, although the drugs weren’t intended for sale there, according to EU and Dutch customs officials …

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124949598103308449.html
             http://www.eatg.org/eatg/Global-HIV-News/Access-to-treatment/India-prepares-EU-trade-complaints

Pfizer likes to call these Viagra Pills “fake”. while in reality they are just generic versions made in India, good solid medicine  that does not respect Pfizer’s patent and thus is much cheaper, produced by reputable Indian companies: see our generic Viagra Test Shopping experience.

Viagra Test shopping

So the European Union confiscates drugs that were legally produced in India, and are destined to a third world country where they can be legally used.

"Branded Powergra and Erectalis, each box contained, in fact, four tablets in the characteristic shape and color of Viagra or Cialis pills," Budget Minister Eric Woerth’s office, which is also in charge of customs, said in a statement.

"The companies Pfizer and Eli Lilly, which respectively own the Viagra and Cialis brands, quickly confirmed the counterfeit nature of these products and the 224,000 pills were seized," Woerth’s office added.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN0739368520080107
http://www.worldtravelguide.com/travel-blog/2008/01/viagra-and-cialis-seized-in-paris.html

While I understand that the patent holders want to protect their intellectual property and their income, it is also understandable that poor countries like India and African nations want to guarantee access to afordable medicine to their citizens. And it is up to you to decide if you can not afford over 10 dollars per pill and look for cheaper alternatives to maintain your sex life. Our own generic Viagra Test showed that the stuff from at least (generic) Viagra store  works fine.

Pfizer says there is no such things as a generic version of its product, because no other company is licensed to sell sildenafil citrate.

This, of course, is legally correct for the US, EU, etc.  But in India there is a generic Version.

According to a recent study published in Britain, researchers purchased Viagra from several seemingly reputable Internet sources. They received what looked like branded Viagra, identically packaged like the real product. The sources of the pills were worldwide and included places like Thailand, India and Malta. The content of sildenafil was determined using near infrared microscopy.
Source: http://www.spamdailynews.com/publish/Why_Viagra_spam_floods_your_mailbox.asp

Yes, so you have to check where you get it from. One main point is to get it from India where it is legally produced under various brand names.

And please, never buy from spammers! Never! Spammers are a plague, fill up your email box. Buy from people who advertise ligitimately.

With an average revenue intake of between $3,000 and $10,000 per day, spammers are eager to put Viagra into the mailboxes of as many people as possible.

Read more: Viagra Test

Wada believes sildenafil (Viagra) enhances athletic performance, particularly in high-pollution locations such as Beijing and London.

[ . . . ]

As well as boosting the blood supply to muscles – helpful in sprinting – the drug may also enhance endurance, especially when competitors are breathing in polluted conditions or at high altitudes.

Victor Conte, who ran the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (Balco) and supplied banned substances to top competitors such as sprinters Marion Jones and Dwain Chambers, has claimed of Viagra: “All my athletes took it. It’s bigger than creatine [a legal muscle-building supplement]“.

Cited from http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/7469509.stm

Well, to be realistic, athletes are usually young and healthy enough not to have erectile deficiencies which would require them to take Viagra. Also, Viagra seems to enhance athletic perfomance only when taken during competition, so taking Viagra 3 nights before the competition should not be prohibited.

Viagra (Sildenafil Citrate) is patented by Pfizer. India produces a generic Version of Viagra (Sildenafil Citrate), against Pfizer’s protest. This is an example for the delicate balance between protecting intellectual rights and allowing poor people access to important medicine.

Afghan tribal leaders often had four wives — the maximum number allowed by the Koran — and aging village patriarchs were easily sold on the utility of a pill that could “put them back in an authoritative position,” the official said. [...]

The CIA probably needs to buy expensive Viagra at Pfizer. But did you know that generic Viagra is available for US$ 0.08 in Indian pharmacies?

[...] a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached into his bag for a small gift.Four blue pills. Viagra.

“Take one of these. You’ll love it,” the officer said. Compliments of Uncle Sam.

The enticement worked. The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception. The grinning chief offered up a bonanza of information about Taliban movements and supply routes — followed by a request for more pills.

citations from BBC: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/25/AR2008122500931.html

We did some test shopping for Indian generic Viagra. It works. So if the CIA wants to save money, our article gives sources where to buy it cheaper.