Cialis to be No. 1 outside U.S. in '07
December 8, 2006

Look out, Viagra. Here comes Cialis.

Just three years after hitting the market, Cialis is gaining ground on industry leader Viagra for treatment of erectile dysfunction, which still commands a lot of buzz and billions of dollars in prescriptions.

Eli Lilly and Co., which markets the drug along with partner Icos Corp., predicted Thursday the drug will become No. 1 outside of the United States by next year.

It did not make any claims for overtaking Viagra inside the United States, where the famous blue diamond tablet, made by rival Pfizer, still commands about 58 percent of the market, compared with 25 percent for Cialis.

Worldwide, Cialis sales are expected to top $1 billion in 2007, which would make it one of Lilly's top five drugs. In the third quarter, sales were up 26 percent from a year earlier.

Already, Cialis is No. 1 in 17 countries, including France, where it is commonly known as "le weekend." Lilly will launch Cialis next year in Japan.
Lilly is buying its partner, Seattle-based Icos, for about $2.1 billion. Cialis' patent does not expire until 2017.

"Cialis is definitely stealing share, and that's helping Lilly offset some of their other products that are slowing or flattening," said Les Funtleyder, an analyst with Miller Tabak & Co. in New York City.

Source: http://www.indystar.com