Since the FDA approved Viagra on March 27, 1998, billions of sildenafil tablets have been manufactured, prescribed, and swallowed. The iconic blue diamond pill became the most recognized pharmaceutical product in history. But how many pills is "billions," really?
The Stack
A standard Viagra or sildenafil tablet is approximately 4 mm thick. Pfizer disclosed that in its first 7 years alone, sildenafil was prescribed to over 23 million men, and the drug generated over $1 billion per year for most of its patent life.
Conservative estimates place total pills sold (brand and generic combined) since 1998 in the range of 4 to 8 billion tablets. At 4 mm each:
Even at the low estimate, the stack would be roughly twice the height of Everest. At the high end, it would reach into the stratosphere — well above commercial airline cruising altitude (10-12 km).
The Generic Revolution
When Pfizer's patents expired, the price floor dropped out. As of 2018, fifteen manufacturers were approved to sell generic sildenafil in the US alone. Seven were based in India.
The result: a pill that once cost $60 to $80 at retail now costs as little as $1 to $3 through telehealth providers and compounding pharmacies. That's a price reduction of 95% or more.
Same Active Ingredient. 95% Less.
Generic sildenafil and tadalafil deliver the same results at a fraction of the price. Compare telehealth options.
Compare Prices →The Bottom Line
The sheer volume of sildenafil consumed since 1998 speaks to the scale of ED as a global health condition. Billions of pills, tens of billions of dollars, hundreds of millions of men. And now, for the first time, the generic revolution has made the treatment genuinely affordable.