Levitra orodispersible has been launched in the UK and will be available at The Online Clinic from next week. It looks set to be a very popular way to treat erectile dysfunction. The formulation will be different to the original Levitra and faster acting.

Where the orodispersable (10mg) has the advantage, is that it is taken orally, placed on the tongue, dissolves within seconds and no water is required. This allows for the spontaneity factor no matter where you are at the time. The drug can be taken discreetly and the effects are experienced much faster than with the other PDE5 inhibitors apparently.

Two clinical trials with the same outcome at phase III level proved the orodispersible’s safety and efficacy and the same results were collected in similar trials carried out for the original Levitra tablets at 10mg. This breakthrough drug could challenge the market whilst bringing spontaneity and control back into the sexual lives of men who suffer from erectile dysfunction.

The European Medicines Agency has approved the dissolvable version of Levitra that we wrote about some months ago. Bayer, the manufacturers, state that because the treatment dissolves on the tongue and therefore is assimilated into the bloodstream at a faster rate than swallowing the tablet, those taking Levitra will have more control over their sex life.

The dissolvable formulation will be launched in Europe in November of this year. It has already been approved by the FDA in the US.

822 men who had experienced erectile dysfunction for over 6 months took part in two studies and the orodispersable Levitra came out on top showing itself to be far superior to the placebo and as effective as the hard tablet form. Instead of taking the hard tablet form one hour before sexual intercourse, the dissolvable form will give men the freedom to be more spontaneous although Bayer has not disclosed how quickly an erection can be achieved following administration. Our understanding is that this version of Levitra will only be available in 10 mg doses.

The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency have successfully carried out a raid in Bristol, resulting in the seizure of a large load of counterfeit medications.

Police from the Safer Stronger Neighbourhood team supported their collegues at the MHRA and carried out the raids at three properties, in the Newtown, Redfield and Hotwells areas of the city.

In total, the team seized counterfeit medications worth £180,000. They included the erectile dysfunction medications Viagra, Levitra and Cialis, as well as the anti-anxiety medication Diezepam. The officers also discovered a large amount of cannabis plants at one of the properties, thought to have a street value of £40,000.

Further investigation also resulted in the seizure of 1000 tablets which officials believe to be counterfeit.

So far, a 23-year old man has been arrested on suspicious of cultivating cannabis. A 28-year old man has also been arrested on suspicious of supplying counterfeit medication.

A spokesperson for the Safer Neighbourhood team, police sergeant Jon Ames, said that the branch was committed to stamping out the trade in counterfeit medication and asked for the public to contact them if they had any further information about illegal activity.

The head of enforcement for the MHRA Mike Deats warned that people who purchased medication from any other sources other than a registered pharmacy were putting their health at risk, possibly taking doses that were too high or low or even imbibing dangerous substances.

He added that those dealing in counterfeit drugs didn’t care about consumer’s health and were only interested in making money.

The three pharmaceutical firms who manufacture the best-selling erectile dysfunction drugs Viagra, Cialis and Levitra have received a heavy fine after they were convicted of price fixing their drugs in Switzerland.

The Swiss Competition Commission have ruled that the three firms, Pfzier, Eli Lilley and Bayer AG must pay a total f 5.7million francs (or $5.7 million) for breaching Swiss competition law. It has not been revealed how much each company must individually pay.

All the companies refuted the allegation. A spokeperson from Eli Lilley, manufacturers of Cialis, said that the company believed that the public price recommendation for the drug was in line with Swiss competition law, while Bayer released a statement said that they were exploring how they could challenge the fine. Pfizer’s spokeperson said that the firm did not believe the decision would survive a court examination.

The case first came to the public’s attention when the three companies claimed that the cost of the three drugs had risen drastically, leading the SCC to suspect that the suggested prices were far too high.

The Swiss have been watching the case with great interest and the findings of the SCC are likely to cause huge embarrassment to the pharmaceutical firms. With their reputations under threat, they are likely to fight tooth and nail against the fine.

As the pound has weakened against the euro, UK pharmacies have been experiencing increasing difficulties in obtaining supplies of Levitra. Bayer, the manufacturer of Levitra, at the moment prefers to make a sale in Germany or France as they make a greater profit margin than when the medication is sold in the UK, so have advised that stock shortages are likely.

Despite the efforts of our pharmacy they are currently unable to obtain any new supplies of Levitra 20mg in sufficient volumes to meet demand. We are expecting a large delivery to arrive at the start of December but until then do not think we will be able to get sufficient stock, though we will make every effort to do so.

The pharmacy received a small amount of stock today so are hopeful we will be able to honour any current orders for the 20mg. However we recommend that any customers who usually buy this medication consider the 10mg dose instead, or try Viagra or Cialis, until supply issues are resolved.