KATHMANDU: Every summer, the mountains in north Nepal experience a rush of herb pickers as entire Himalayan villagers stop all other work and head for the slopes to look for yarshagumba, a high-altitude fungus that is highly prized, especially by he Chinese, due to the belief that it enhance sexual prowess.
This year, however, the "Himalayan Viagra" of Nepal is going to face stiff competition. Three Nepali pharmaceutical companies based in the Terai plains in south Nepal are vying to market desi versions of the prescription medicine for erectile dysfunction.
Quest Pharmaceuticals and Arya Pharma, both based in the border town of Birgunj in Parsa district on the Indo-Nepal border, as well as Alive Pharmaceuticals in Biratnagar in Morang district, have received permission from Nepal’s Department of Drug Administration (DDA) to manufacture and market the "Nepali Viagra", the Dainikee web site reported.
While Alive’s offering is already in the market under the name Excite, Quest’s version is called Medigra. Arya Pharma is in the process of beginning production, the site said.
However, with the present Maoist government having begun a vice cleanup drive, the pills are not being sold directly as sex drugs. The government has begun regulating the sale of alcohol and tobacco, imposed a time limit on dance bars and started a crackdown on massage parlours and cabin restaurants that are regarded as a front for the oldest profession in the world.
According to DDA chief Radha Raman Prasad, the Nepali drugs are meant for the treatment of heart problems, like pulmonary hypertension. The government agreed to the manufacture of the Nepali medicine following requests from the Gangalal Heart Centre, one of Nepal’s oldest heart hospitals, Prasad said.
Officially, Viagra is banned in Nepal. However, a black market flourishes with caches smuggled in from India across the porous border and stolen clandestinely at substantially higher prices.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Desi_Viagra_pours_out_of_Nepal/articleshow/4053825.cms
This year, however, the "Himalayan Viagra" of Nepal is going to face stiff competition. Three Nepali pharmaceutical companies based in the Terai plains in south Nepal are vying to market desi versions of the prescription medicine for erectile dysfunction.
Quest Pharmaceuticals and Arya Pharma, both based in the border town of Birgunj in Parsa district on the Indo-Nepal border, as well as Alive Pharmaceuticals in Biratnagar in Morang district, have received permission from Nepal’s Department of Drug Administration (DDA) to manufacture and market the "Nepali Viagra", the Dainikee web site reported.
While Alive’s offering is already in the market under the name Excite, Quest’s version is called Medigra. Arya Pharma is in the process of beginning production, the site said.
However, with the present Maoist government having begun a vice cleanup drive, the pills are not being sold directly as sex drugs. The government has begun regulating the sale of alcohol and tobacco, imposed a time limit on dance bars and started a crackdown on massage parlours and cabin restaurants that are regarded as a front for the oldest profession in the world.
According to DDA chief Radha Raman Prasad, the Nepali drugs are meant for the treatment of heart problems, like pulmonary hypertension. The government agreed to the manufacture of the Nepali medicine following requests from the Gangalal Heart Centre, one of Nepal’s oldest heart hospitals, Prasad said.
Officially, Viagra is banned in Nepal. However, a black market flourishes with caches smuggled in from India across the porous border and stolen clandestinely at substantially higher prices.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Desi_Viagra_pours_out_of_Nepal/articleshow/4053825.cms
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