Pfizer Condemns Insurers Over Viagra Concerns

The maker of Viagra is accusing insurers of instilling “unnecessary fear” in consumers by refusing to pay for the impotency treatment on safety grounds.

Pfizer Inc. went on the offensive Monday in an unusual confrontation with insurers that hold the power to approve or disapprove its many drugs. It was responding to Prudential HealthCare and Humana Inc. managers who said their companies would not reimburse patients for Viagra because they aren’t sure it is safe.

Wall Street analysts questioned whether insurers were looking for an excuse to avert the financial pain of paying for the pricey $10-a-pill impotency treatment.

“Any challenges to the safety of Viagra are factually and medically incorrect,” Pfizer spokeswoman Mariann Caprino said. “It’s irresponsible to raise the concerns of the general public over the safety of this drug . . . and it’s causing unnecessary fear.”

At least 30 Viagra users have died since the drug came on the market in March. Pfizer and the Food and Drug Administration point out that users of the blockbuster drug are often elderly and have other health problems. Both maintain that there is no evidence any of the patients would have died if they had taken the drug as directed.

Kaiser Permanente and other insurers have refused to cover Viagra because of the high cost. But Prudential and Humana officials say safety was their primary concern.

“We had some concerns about the long-term safety effects of the drug,” Humana spokeswoman Valerie Kennedy said.

Prudential spokesman Kevin Heine went further, saying the insurer is concerned about the deaths and the risk to men who have recently had a heart attack.

“We think it would be irresponsible to cover the drug without answers as to why those adverse situations occurred,” Heine said. “If those concerns are addressed, we will cover the drug.”

Neither company has contacted Pfizer to seek further safety information, Caprino said.

“We would certainly welcome an opportunity to meet with them and put these concerns to rest,” she said.

One drug industry analyst said insurers are using safety concerns to mask their real reason for denying the drug: its budget-busting price.

“There’s no question about it,” said Hemant K. Shah, an independent analyst in Warren, N.J. “It’s very difficult to give other reasons [besides safety] because the consumer backlash could be quite significant.”

With the price of new drugs rising, insurers are drawing a line at covering what they deem to be “lifestyle” drugs, Shah said.

Heine at Prudential denied that cost was a consideration. He said the insurer performs a safety review first and hadn’t even looked at cost. Prudential has denied coverage of other FDA-approved drugs due to safety concerns and found its caution was appropriate, he said.

Pfizer shares rose $2 to close at $109.50 on the New York Stock Exchange.