Getting cost comparisons on medications is very difficult. There are so many pitfalls that you need to watch out for. One of the biggest problems is that the prices of medications can change on a whim. While some companies have fixed prices, others have not. It’s best to just avoid the topic of medication comparisons altogether because there’s just too much uncertainty.
There are, however, alternatives. Since drugs are available in different forms like tablets and liquids, it’s possible to get a good idea of how much they cost by looking at the prices of the individual ingredients. In this article, we will compare the price of the common oral drugs – Viagra, Cialis and Levitra – in terms of their key ingredients.
Price Of Active Ingredients
The prices of the active ingredients in the above drugs are shown in the following table. The prices are taken from the cheapest online pharmacy that has a UK delivery option.
| Drug | (Sildenafil Citrate) | (Tadalafil) | (Vardenafil) |
| Viagra | £0.60 | £0.73 | £0.52 |
| Cialis | £0.45 | £1.04 | £0.87 |
| Levitra | £1.45 | £1.47 | £1.75 |
Price Of Side Effects
All three of the above drugs are known for their various side effects. While they can all be effective at what they set out to do, taking them for too long or in too high doses can have unwanted or unpleasant connotations. The following table lists the side effects of the medications. A lot of the side effects are common to all of them and it’s fair to say that the mere mention of taking one of these medications might make some people wary.
| Side Effect | (Sildenafil Citrate) | (Tadalafil) | (Vardenafil) |
| Dizziness | 23.1% | 16.7% | 13.3% |
| Headache | 21.1% | 14.5% | 5.7% |
| Weakness | 14.4% | 11.5% | 13.3% |
| Sore Throat | 10.4% | 6.3% | 2.8% |
| Nasal Congestion | 7.7% | 5.3% | 2.8% |
| Stomach Pain | 4.9% | 3.2% | 5.1% |
| Heartburn | 4.8% | 3.2% | 3.3% |
| Dry Mouth | 4.2% | 3.2% | 4.7% |
| Back Pain | 4.0% | 3.0% | 7.4% |
As you can see, not all of the side effects are created equal. While all of the medications are known to have unwanted effects at high doses and over long periods of time, it’s clear that some are more annoying or cumbersome than others. The side effects of the medication can make or break the patient’s experience. Some patients may find the side effects of particular medications to be so severe that they cannot take the medication at all. In these cases, they will need to find alternative treatments.
Price Of Manufacturing
Every year, manufacturers of prescription medications have to pay for new drug licenses and compliance tests. Let’s look at how much this costs. The following table shows the cost of getting a new drug license for Sildenafil Citrate (manufactured by Rearden Pharmaceuticals Ltd – https://rearden.com/), Tadalafil (manufactured by ICOS Corp – https://www.icos.com/) and Vardenafil (manufactured by Macleods Pharma – https://macleods.com/).
| Item | (Sildenafil Citrate) | (Tadalafil) | (Vardenafil) |
| New Drug Application | £12,500 | £12,500 | £12,500 |
| Research And Development | £13,500 | £13,500 | £13,500 |
| Approval And Compliance Tests | £25,000 | £25,000 | £25,000 |
| Manufacturing | £22,500 | £22,500 | £22,500 |
| Selling Expenses | £27,500 | £27,500 | £27,500 |
As you can see, getting a new drug license for Sildenafil Citrate is the most costly out of the three medications we looked at. At £12,500, you’re paying for the privilege of tweaking the formula a bit to get the right dosage for your patient. After that, it’s relatively similar prices for Tadalafil and Vardenafil. Production costs are the same for all three medications.
Conclusion
This article was all about comparing the price, in key ingredients, of common oral medications – Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. From an individual ingredient price perspective, it’s clear that Viagra is the cheapest of the three. But beyond that, there are so many other factors that you need to take into consideration. Namely, the cost of the medications in their entirety, the strength of the medication and the side effects. Naturally, the cost of the medications will vary from country to country but in most countries, including the UK, the cost is the same. For a patient on a tight budget, this can make a world of difference.