Rabat- More than 5.6 million tablets of Viagra, drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension, have been reportedly sold in Morocco in 2014, according to the Moroccan Association of Pharmaceutical Industry (MAPI).
Statistics from the MAPI reported a total consumption of 2,981,000 boxes of aphrodisiac pills in 2014, (some 5,567,000 tablets). Each box usually contains 1 or 2 tablets. The annual consumption in the male population is about 1/2 tablet average per person in a year.
The sale of Viagra and similar sexual stimulators reached a revenue estimated at MAD 248 million in 2014, according to a report published on Yabiladi.
A health expert, quoted by Akhbar Al Ayoum, said that since the blue pills made its way to Morocco for the first time in the late nineties, the Viagra had a huge success in a country male sexual impotence is taboo.
In addition to Viagra, there are about 20 types of low cost sex drugs in Morocco, mostly produced in India.
According to Dr. Abdelmajid Belaiche, sexual impotence in Morocco is undiagnosed in most cases.
“The problem is that people take these medicines without medical checkup,” he said.
The doctor added that these medications should be consumed by prescription.
According to a survey conducted by the Endo-Urologie Maroc Association, released in September, 45 per cent of Moroccan suffer from erectile dysfunction.
The survey, which analyzed data from 202 married women, aged 20 and older, who engaged in regular sexual activity, revealed that 45.05% of their male partners have erectile dysfunction, including 13% representing severe cases.
