Since the patent for Viagra expired in 2013, there are now several manufacturers of generic Sildenafil available. Brands that currently manufacture Sildenafil are: Accord, Actavis, Ajanta, Aurobindo, Bristol Labs, Consilient, Dr Reddy’s, Mylan, Pfizer, Sandoz, Teva, Torrent, Zentiva. Only Pfizer is allowed to call their Sildenafil ‘Viagra’.
All brands of Sildenafil contain the same active ingredient – sildenafil citrate. The inactive ingredients may vary, but the effects of the drug should be the same. If you would prefer a certain brand of Sildenafil, our customer service team may be able to help you out. All Sildenafil brands should have the same effects, however, it has been found that sometimes branded medications, like Viagra, have stronger effects due to the placebo effect. The placebo effect is the experience of positive effects of a treatment that are not attributable to the pharmacological action of the treatment. In this case, the cost, branding and reputation of Viagra, give the impression that it is the most effective treatment, therefore, your brain expects that the effects will be greater, and you can actually experience stronger effects from Viagra.
Aside from this, the main difference between the different brands of Sildenafil is the price. Viagra by Pfizer remains the most expensive, as some people prefer to take drugs with a well-known name. The generic Sildenafil manufacturers, compete with each other primarily on price, driving the cost of the drug down. So if you would like to save some money, it is better to opt for the generic brands of Sildenafil.
All the generic manufacturers create Sildenafil in the same dosages and the same number of pills per pack. Other differences between different brands of Sildenafil are differences in appearance. Viagra is a blue diamond-shaped pill, Sandoz Sildenafil is blue cross-shaped and scored, and Ajanta Sildenafil is dark green. The appearance of the different brands can only have an impact upon the effectiveness of the treatment in a small way via the placebo effect. If you are used to taking hard blue pills, a white chalky pill may be off-putting, and the effects may be lessened. However, this should not have enough of an impact to prevent the pill from not working for you. So it is really just down to personal preference. In addition, if you have difficulty swallowing tablets, a scored pill, such as Sandoz, Torrent or Zentiva Sildenafil, may suit you best, as it is more easily broken into small pieces.
Here is a summary of the different appearances of each brand of Sildenafil:
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Accord – Light blue, elliptical pill, tapered at one end. The strength is impressed on one side, the other side is smooth.
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Actavis – Light blue, oval pill, with ‘SL’ and the strength marked on one side, the other side is smooth.
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Ajanta – Dark green, diamond-shaped pill with rounded corners. The AP logo is imprinted on one side, the strength is on the other side.
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Aurobindo – White round pill. Each face of the tablet is curved. One side is impressed with ‘SL’, the strength is on the reverse.
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Bristol Labs – Light blue, triangular pill with rounded corners. One side is marked with ‘BL’, the strength is on the reverse.
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Consilient – White, rectangular tablets with rounded corners. One side is marked with the strength, the other side is plain. Consilient market this product as Vizarsin.
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Dr Reddy’s – Blue, circular tablet. One side is impressed with the ‘SC’ logo, the strength is indicated on the other side.
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Mylan – Blue, circular tablet. One side is imprinted with ‘SL’ and the strength, the other side is marked ‘M’.
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Pfizer (generic) – White, diamond-shaped tablet with rounded corners. One side is impressed with ‘Pfizer’, the other side is imprinted with ‘SIL’ and the strength.
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Pfizer (Viagra) – Blue, diamond-shaped tablet with rounded corners. One side is imprinted with ‘Pfizer’, the other side is marked ‘VGR’ followed by the strength.
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Sandoz – Light blue, cross-shaped pill with rounded corners. It is scored with two lines, for each division. The strength is impressed on the reverse side.
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Teva – White, oval-shaped pill. One side is imprinted with ‘S’ and the strength, the other side is plain.
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Torrent – Blue, circular pill. It is scored across one side, the other side is marked with a number indicating the strength.
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Zentiva – Light-blue, circular pill. It is scored across one side, and marked with ‘J’ and a number indicating the strength.