Vivus announced that it has completed its phase III human studies for its erectile dysfunction treatment, Avanafil. An application for a marketing authorization in the US and the EU will be made shortly.
Avanafil is faster acting than Viagra or Cialis and thereby allows for greater spontaneity. However, with Pfizer’s patent for Viagra set to run out next year, competition in this area of the market is set to get fierce so Avanafil may struggle. When Vivus launched MUSE, at the time a breakthrough drug inserted into the urethra to combat erectile dysfunction, Viagra was born one year later and MUSE paled into insignificance.
With Qnexa, Vivus’s diet pill, still failing to impress the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), Avanafil’s success must be key to the future of Vivus.