FREE Viagra for the unemployed! Pharmaceutical company Pfizer earned this catchy headline this week with its plans to make 70 products free to US residents who have lost their job.
Anybody who has been taking one of the 70 drugs for at least three months and became unemployed after 1 January this year can apply.
鈥淲e all know people who have been laid off recently and have lost their health insurance, making it difficult for them to pay for healthcare,鈥� says company executive Jorge Puente.
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鈥淲e all know people who have been laid off, making it difficult for them to pay for healthcare鈥�
The decision is not all about patients, however. It also reflects Pfizer鈥檚 concern for the bottom line: people cut costs when they lose their job, which may involve switching to a competitor鈥檚 drugs.
Many of the drugs on the list, including painkiller Celebrex, face competition from rival products. A generic version of another Pfizer top-earner, the cholesterol medicine Lipitor, is set to be introduced in 2011.
By giving away some drugs for a limited period, market analysts say Pfizer will keep patients loyal to its brand during hard times.
