German pharmaceuticals giant Bayer has won approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to launch its rival drug to Pfizer's anti-impotence treatment Viagra in the US.
Bayer said in a statement that its drug for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, Levitra, had received the green light from the US health authorities and would now be available in US pharmacies 'within a few weeks'.
'Levitra has the potential to become a new blockbuster and achieve annual sales of more than €1 billion,' boasted chairman Werner Wenning.
Levitra, which is being co-promoted by British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline, is already approved for marketing in Europe and a number of countries South and Central America.
However, Viagra's maker Pfizer has launched suit to try to block the launch of Levitra in the US, because it claims Bayer's drug breaches Pfizer's patent on Viagra.
Analysts estimate Bayer could generate sales of some €150m from the drug already this year.
Bayer is hoping the new treatment will fill part of the gap left by the withdrawal of its disgraced anti-cholesterol drug Lipobay, which was withdrawn in the autumn of 2001 after it was believed to have caused the deaths of around 100 people.
