Though it might have been a while, you've probably seen or even been given samples in your 's office.
It's not as common as it once was, but s often have free samples of new medications to hand out to appropriate patients. They come from pharmaceutical companies and their salespeople as a way to get the word out about new medications.
When Viagra® () was approved by the FDA and launched by its manufacturer Pfizer in 1998, it was a big hit. Pfizer had stumbled onto a gold mine with Viagra, the first and only – for a while – oral that could effectively treat .
And while it took time for guys to get comfortable talking about ED with their doctors (major advertising from Pfizer helped), the little blue rocketed to stardom and over a billion dollars in annual sales in record time.
Like many medications of its day, free samples of Viagra were commonplace in 's offices. They were so popular, in fact, that Pfizer salesman Jamie Reidy told Bloomberg in 2017:
"We were rock stars. Never before, and probably never again, will anybody get a standing ovation in the waiting room. That was my highlight for sure. There was a waiting room filled with men, all of whom were avoiding eye contact with another—just kind of looking down, embarrassed to be there. The urologist had looked through the cutout window and saw me and walked out and, with a lot of panache said, “This is the Viagra !” And I got a standing ovation."
were everywhere twenty years ago. After all, ED happens to over 50% of guys. You could get free samples and free Levitra samples in their day, too.
The question many guys are asking these days: can you still find ?
How Guys Could Get
Here's how free samples work.
When medications are first approved by the FDA, they come out with big price-tags.
That's because they're usually an improvement on some existing (or maybe no at all for some conditions). They're protected by patents, so other companies can't copy precisely what they've done. companies usually have about 10 years where they get to sell their new totally free of competition – at least, not competition with the exact same .
During that time, it makes economic sense for companies to offer free samples.
If a tries their for free, and likes it more than something else they're already taking or it improves their life sufficiently, they'll be interested in staying on the . They start paying full price or some discounted price through their insurance company.
That discounted price still offers a big margin (the difference between the cost to make the and the selling price) for companies.
Here's just how big that margin is – when most drugs lose patent protection in the U.S. and generic manufacturers start releasing their own versions of the same , the prices can get squeezed to as low as just 5% of the original price!
These generic companies are also making a profit on their version, indicating that even after slashing the price by 95%, they still have a positive margin on the .
That tells you just how cheap it is to manufacture many medications!
That immense original margin is what lets drugmakers hand out free samples in the early days. Even when they're losing money on these "loss leaders", they're still making a mint on the products that patients purchase down the road.
Where To Get Today
Today, things are a little different.
For starters, 's offices give out far fewer free samples than they did twenty years ago when Viagra was approved.
That's due to a number of factors – 's no longer get many of the same perks they used to from salespeople, like expensive dinners out, vacation getaways, etc. The way companies influence doctors with gifts is much more regulated, and many health systems in the U.S. have simply banned free samples.
Second, the price of Viagra and generic sildenafil versions are much lower than originally, meaning that free samples don't work so well for manufacturers and salespeople. When Viagra launched in 1998, a single cost over $100! Pfizer could afford to give out because when patients then purchased more doses at full price, the margin more than made up for the free products.
Today, you can get DOZENS of doses of generic (Viagra's ) for the same price that you once bought a single
All that has led to a quick reduction in how much free sampling happens from companies. From 2007 to 2012 sampling fell by 25%, and two-thirds of medical schools had restricted sampling. That trend has only continued.
Online
Twenty years ago representatives could give 's free Viagra packs for their patients who wanted to try it (and were a good fit physically).
Today, the economics just aren't the same. Pfizer was selling over $2 BILLION of Viagra each year in its heyday – losing a few bucks on some free samples wasn't a big deal.
Thanks to generic companies and the loss of patents on key ED drugs starting in 2017, today guys can get cheap ED pills without needing a free .
For example, Rex MD's telehealth platform helps guys get a with an included physician consultation FREE with their membership... for as low as $2 per .
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packs are available at Rex MD for rock-bottom prices partly because we've cut so much of the fat off of the traditional healthcare system: low overhead, specialization in men's health, a top-notch partner, and a visit done virtually.
With Rex MD, men can access a licensed U.S. physician and, if approved, receive generic and branded ED medications right at home. Sample packs of generic sildenafil are a great place to start for most guys who want a low-commitment way to treat ED.
In many ways with Rex MD, it's easier than ever.
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