Mideast chemists stock up on Viagra before Muslim feast
DUBAI - Chemists across the conservative Middle East are stocking up on sex stimulant Viagra in the hope of huge sales during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr later this week, manufacturer Pfizer said.
A company statement said pharmacies across the region had increased their stocks of the anti-impotence blue pills "after reporting significant sales increases for the drug over the Eid al-Fitr festival in previous years".
"Figures reveal that during the holiday period, a time when families gather to celebrate Eid, pharmacists have seen a three-fold rise in demand for Viagra," it said.
"The trend is common throughout the Middle East, with pharmacists in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar all noting similar sales patterns," it said.
Pfizer said "more than half of all Middle East males, aged between 40 and 70, are affected by erectile dysfunction to some degree, an incidence rate which closely resembles international figures."
Ahmed El Hakim, Pfizer`s Middle East director of health policy and external affairs, said: "Naturally, married couples want to express and show their love for each other at these times.
"So it is not surprising that the demand for Viagra, a medication used by men all over the Middle East to improve their relationships and quality of life in general, should increase," he said.
However he added: "The phenomenon is not unique to the Arab world.
"The rise in demand for Viagra during Eid reflects a worldwide trend for increased Viagra sales during holiday periods and festivals. There are similar patterns in Christian countries over Christmas."
AFP
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