# Marketing Viagra to women-good idea? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 1, 2014, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marketing-viagra-to-women-good-idea/700086 "2014-10-01T14:55:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marketing-viagra-to-women-good-idea/700086/1 "2014-10-01T14:55:52Z")
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/viagra-ads-target-women-for-1st-time/2014/09/30/bfbe70bc-4880-11e4-a4bf-794ab74e90f0\_story.html](http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/viagra-ads-target-women-for-1st-time/2014/09/30/bfbe70bc-4880-11e4-a4bf-794ab74e90f0_story.html) Most of the women I know are not big fans, although understandably their partners are. But I question this tactic for its efficacy and perspective in a woman’s reality. What do you smart people think? ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marketing-viagra-to-women-good-idea/700086/2 "2014-10-01T15:20:44Z")
Being gay I don’t know a lot about such things, but why wouldn’t a woman be a fan? ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marketing-viagra-to-women-good-idea/700086/3 "2014-10-01T15:30:27Z")
I understood it has no proven impact on women. I think the development of drugs to do other things than treat actual deceases is a diversion of resources into pure profit generation and doing little for the general good. It is in the interests of the drug companies to medicate everybody. I’m strongly against that trend. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marketing-viagra-to-women-good-idea/700086/4 "2014-10-01T15:39:07Z")
> [@notquitekarpov](#): > > I understood it has no proven impact on women. > > I think the\*\* development of drugs to do other things than treat actual deceases \*\*is a diversion of resources into pure profit generation and doing little for the general good. > > It is in the interests of the drug companies to medicate everybody. I’m strongly against that trend. What drugs would those be? And it’s diseases. Drugs like Minoxidil and Viagra were originally developed for other conditions and the side effect was found to be more useful than the original use. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marketing-viagra-to-women-good-idea/700086/5 "2014-10-01T15:42:08Z")
If they’re marketing it to women so they can give it to guys (similar to marketing condoms), that’s doing an end-run around the situation of guys who really shouldn’t take it because of heart issues. If a guy’s been told he should steer clear of it, and in the heat of the moment the lady says “Here, try this,” well, we know how that worked out for Adam… ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marketing-viagra-to-women-good-idea/700086/6 "2014-10-01T15:53:42Z")
They’re marketing it to women in that infuriating but correct notion that men tend to ignore their health and need to be nagged into going to the doctor and then further nagged into actually talking to their doctor about what’s wrong. It’s infantilizing, patronizing and annoying. It’s also true. [http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/the-pulse/63198-men-and-fear-of-docs-](http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/the-pulse/63198-men-and-fear-of-docs-) ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marketing-viagra-to-women-good-idea/700086/7 "2014-10-02T21:27:20Z")
> [@notquitekarpov](#): > > I understood it has no proven impact on women. > [@Ethilrist](#): > > If they’re marketing it to women so they can give it to guys (similar to marketing condoms), that’s doing an end-run around the situation of guys who really shouldn’t take it because of heart issues. If a guy’s been told he should steer clear of it, and in the heat of the moment the lady says “Here, try this,” well, we know how that worked out for Adam… According to the article, the ad has a woman encouraging men to see their doctor about ED (and ask about Viagra while you’re there), presumably because she wants sex and he can’t. It does not appear to suggest that females take the drug, and the ad certainly doesn’t state (or insinuate) that a doctor would prescribe Viagra to a woman to give to her partner(s). **WhyNot** nailed it (pun intended)