Viagra sales don't meet expectations

Miami -- While sales of erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra have been steady since their release, their popularity has not met expectations, the Miami Herald said.

The newspaper Saturday reported while initial annual sales estimates for Viagra alone were around $5 billion, the total sales of the top three erectile medications have totaled $3 billion a year.

While sales of the drugs have been somewhat disappointing, they have been credited by some with making erectile dysfunction a less embarrassing medical condition.

"Before Viagra, a lot of men with erection problems were angry and withdrawn in their relationships," sex counselor Dr. Judy Kuriansky said. "They didn't want sex; their partners didn't know what was going on; the women blamed themselves, and it was a mess."

The Herald said that failure of the drug to work for all men may be behind the medication's lack of success as erections only occur in two out of three men when the problem has an organic basis.

Copyright 2007 United Press International.