Pfizer Introduces “Herbal Viagra” Supplement — Inspired by Former NBA Star Lamar Odom

WASHINGTON, District of Columbia—The drama surrounding former-NBA star and reality TV celebrity Lamar Odom’s ongoing traumatic medical condition, caused by overdose of so-called “herbal viagra” supplements, created an unanticipated market opportunity for the recently merged Pfizer/Allegran pharmaceutical behemoth.

In a press release issued Friday, Pfizer/Allegran, the makers of Viagra®, announced the launch of Viagra Lite® BBBO-7®, its herbal supplement entry into the lucrative nonprescription herbal male erectile dysfunction (ED) marketplace, estimated at $4 billion in yearly sales.

According to the press release, BBBO-7® recognizes Mr. Odom, the inspiration for the herbal ED supplement. BBBO-7 is the acronym for Big, Black, Bad Odom, and 7 represents the jersey number he wore when he played for the Los Angeles Lakers.

BBBO-7® — the Next-Generation Safe Herbal ED Supplement

BBBO-7® is a proprietary scientific herbal supplement formulation that is safer, more effective, and without the dangerous side effects usually associated with the shady manufacturing practices and product quality issues of herbal ED supplements

The herbal ED supplement market is greatly underregulated. As a result, the market has a long-standing, notorious reputation for products that are untested, unsafe, ineffective, and outright dangerous.

In fact, so far this year the Food and Drug Administration has issued warnings advising consumers not to purchase over 40 herbal ED supplement products, most with exotic, alluring names, for example, Black Panther, African Superman, Australia Kangaroo Essence, Stiff Nights, Hard Wang, Black Storm, and Weekend Warrior.

The Lamar Odom Inspiration

By most reliable news reports, Mr. Odom’s disappointment with the ineffectiveness of one herbal viagra supplement—after taking more than 10 doses over a short time frame—led him to consume 10 doses of another popular herbal viagra supplement.

Frustrated with still sagging results after more than 20 doses, Mr. Odom reluctantly resorted to more traditional methods of “sexual healing,” consuming generous quantities of cocaine, wine coolers, beer, tequila, Scotch, and bourbon.

His subsequent, now widely known, medical complications caught the attention of pharmacologists, organic chemists, and herbalists at Pfizer/Allegran who, according to the press release, rushed to fill an “urgent, unmet pharmaceutical need” for a safer, affordable herbal ED supplement.

Pfzier Enlarges the Herbal ED Supplement Marketplace

With the debut of BBBO-7®, Pfizer’s seeks to bring the herbal ED supplement market out of shadowy world of clandestine purchases at online pharmacies, gas stations, convenience stores, and nightclubs into the mainstream retail pharmaceutical marketplace by implementing good manufacturing practices, using safe ingredients, ensuring consistent product composition, and developing quality control standards to prevent adulterated products.

The press release lists the safe features and benefits of BBBO-7®. Overall, it does not have hazardous health-related side effects commonly associated with herbal ED medications.

BBBO-7® Safety Indications and Benefits

• Blood pressure not elevated
• Minimal, controllable heart palpitations
• Decreased anxiety and nervousness
• Fewer, nontoxic allergic reactions
• Nausea and vomiting eliminated
• Less intense, shorter duration headaches
• No damage to the urethra or other urological organs
• Dangerous drop in blood pressure elimination (just minor fluctuations)
• Reduced harmful interaction with other prescription drugs, such as cholesterol medications
• Reduced risk of penile fracture (rupture of tissue in the penis that causes bleeding and requires surgery)
• Safer dosing (20 doses in a single instance not needed)

Pfizer Will Dominate Both ED Product Markets

Pfizer already dominates the global prescription ED drug segment with 45% market share, thanks to its gargantuan seller Viagra®, so many market analysts were caught off guard with their venture into the nonprescription ED supplement space.

“They’re showing the market they’re going to fight to keep market share, no matter how they have to take it,” Julian Wang, a pharmaceutical stock analyst with Baltimore-based Legg Mason, a leading investment fund manager, said by telephone.

Mr. Wang said the move into the herbal ED market was a strategic shift to ensure continuing steady revenue growth. According to Mr. Wang, Pfizer confronts twin problems of drooping Viagra® sales—which slumped nearly 10% in 2014—and the withdrawal of its Viagra® patent in 2019, when it expects to face firm competition from makers of generic Viagra® products.

“It’s a clever move because they’re going to have to fill in a big hole revenue-wise in a few years,” Mr. Wang said. “Over the past few years, they’re been facing extra stiff competition from other prescription ED products.”

In recent years, Pfizer has fought to maintain its Viagra® market dominance from new, up-and-coming market entrants peddling faster-acting drugs, like Dong-A Pharmaceutical (makers of Zydena®), Vivus (makers of STENDRA®), and Apricus Biosciences (makers of Vitaros®).

Mr. Wang said with BBBO-7® Pfizer serves notice to the market that it intends to be resilient and stay strong in the ED markets for prescription and nonprescription ED products.

“They’re going to fight. They’re showing now they’re not going to just take it lying down. They probably want to keep their Viagra® market share up around 40-ish. And it’s anyone’s guess how big the herbal market is, probably billion and billions. It’s huge. And they probably think they can get way over 50% of it.”

Mainstream Retail Availability

Pfizer will distribute BBBO-7® through its normal product delivery networks, so it will have widespread market visibility.

The press release indicates BBBO-7® should be available for over-the-counter sales at major retailers and drugstore chains in early 2016.