NEW YORK - When Viagra, the first drug for erectile dysfunction, hit the market in 1998, it was a boon for late night comedians.
It was less of windfall for drugmaker Pfizer (nyse: PFE - news - people ). In 2002, sales of Viagra amounted to only $1.4 billion, far less than Pfizer's blockbusters for cholesterol, pain, and epilepsy. That hasn't stopped other drugmakers from trying to get onto the market. Already, Bayer (nyse: BAY - news - people ) and GlaxoSmithKline (nyse: GSK - news - people ) have launched their Levitra, a similar drug being promoted with advertisements featuring Mike Ditka. But the real buzz surrounds Cialis
, which lasts nine times longer than Viagra and is being sold by a joint venture between Eli Lilly (nyse: LLY - news - people ) and Icos (nasdaq: ICOS - news - people ). Here, a side by side comparison.