Egyptian men welcome Viagra legalization

CAIRO, Egypt -- In a coffee shop in Cairo, the conversation over a game of chess turns to Egyptian men's libidos and the government's legalization of Viagra.

"Being Egyptian means I'm from the pharaohs, and we all know they were famous for their sex drive," says Ahmed Shaaer, a 27-year-old unmarried lawyer.

But, Ali Farahat chips in, Egyptian men won't need Viagra because they have no great desire for sex.

"Europeans need Viagra more because they have more sexual freedoms and they need more sex," the 27-year-old chess teacher says between moves. "But in Egypt, people don't have sex until they get married, and this makes the man stronger because he conserves all his energy until then. So he doesn't need Viagra."

Viagra and similar anti-impotence drugs have been available in Egypt on the black market for several years. One Viagra pill, smuggled into the country, can fetch $10, five times the going rate in the United States.

But with the Health Ministry's legalization of the drugs in May, the black market price is expected to plummet.

And, myths aside, demand will surely increase.

Wanted proof first

When New York-based Pfizer Inc. introduced Viagra for erectile dysfunction in 1998, the Egyptian health ministry initially rejected local licensing of the drug, saying it first should be proved safe.

But within weeks of the ministry's approval of local production, Pfizer Egypt was granted the local license and this month began making Viagra commercially available in Egypt at $6 per tablet, or about two-thirds the black market price.

While hard to quantify, Viagra demand seems high. Egyptian newspapers carry regular reports of police closing chemists selling such drugs or nabbing would-be smugglers trying to sneak the contraband into the country. The daily Al-Ahram newspaper recently ran a report of 1,000 men dying through improper use of such drugs.

Viagra is sold legally in other Mideast nations -- Jordan, Lebanon and Kuwait among them. In conservative Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest shrines, clerics have sanctioned its use "for the sake of marriage and to have children." Syria produces its own generic version of the drug.

A grass-roots Arab boycott has targeted U.S. products because of America's perceived bias toward Israel in its 21-month-old conflict with the Palestinians.

Viagra's strong demand, however, indicates it has survived the boycott.

And Pfizer Egypt sales have begun to rise.

Dr. Mohamed Khalifa, Pfizer Egypt's Mideast group product marketing manager, told The Associated Press that Pfizer can cater for 300,000 to 500,000 Egyptian men he says are acknowledged sufferers of erectile dysfunction.

Powerful libidos

While a conservative Islamic state, a stereotype here boasts of Egypt as the home of men with powerful libidos, a reputation that dates back to pharaonic times. Mythology has it that Ramses II, who ruled Egypt from 1304 B.C. to 1237 B.C., fathered more than 150 children.

"There is a myth in the market that Egyptian men, even a patient with erectile dysfunction, can keep his sexual health strong through fables from the pharaohs," says Khalifa. "This is far from the truth."

But, in Cairo's coffee shops, reputations, myths and stereotypes are given a bit more credence.

Shaaer, the lawyer, said if he can afford Viagra he will buy it "if just for a good time."

That kind of coffee shop chatter is similar to what researcher Nadia Wassef heard when she was conducting research for a 1999 report about images of masculinity and female genital mutilation in Egypt. She was trying to learn, in part, how Egyptian men, mainly from low socio-economic backgrounds, regard their masculinity, sexuality and Viagra.

"I agree with Viagra's use if men have erectile dysfunction issues," she said. "But my problem is that men generally think it will be their savior drug, a man booster."

"Most men we spoke to felt it would answer their problems. They might not bring home much money, but they can still be manly because of Viagra. They worried that if they became impotent, their wives will cheat on them, because they thought: 'We all know how women can't live without sex.'"

Dr. Kamel Zaki Mahmoud, a top male sexual health physician in Cairo, said stereotypes and misinformation cloud men's understanding of sexual health issues. But a medical need exists in Egypt for drugs like Viagra, he said.

Taxi driver Adel Youssef understands the male anxiety. "Egyptian men get depressed if they can't perform sexually. There are a lot of reasons affecting their drive, such as working long hours for little money, poor food and tiredness.

"So we can't all be like pharaohs and good in bed. Maybe even I will need Viagra one day. A happy love life makes a happy home."