Bayer has agreed to pay €208 million (US $272 million) to GlaxoSmithKline to regain sole marketing rights outside of the United States for the impotence drug vardenafil (Levitra). Bayer hopes that the ve will help lift earnings. Analysts say that the move fits in with Bayer’s moves to focus on Europe and fields in which it has successful products, but reflects the weak sales performance of Levitra in comparison to its competitors. Pfizer’s sildenafil Viagra still dominates the field, with more than 70% of the market share in the USA, whereas Lilly’s tadalafil (Cialis) controls about 19%. The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, along with three other industry associations covering Europe, the United States and Japan, said they will be creating a freely accessible online registry of current and completed drug trials. The registry will publish detailed information about all clinical trials, other than exploratory Phase I studies. Participation is voluntary, but the scheme already has backing from laxoSmithKline, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Merck, Novartis and Sanofi-Aventis. Also, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will open up its drug safety monitoring system. Patients will in future be able to view anonymous data on suspected adverse drug reactions on the MHRA Web site. Market development, as with erectile dysfunction,will be contingent on the ability of pharmaceutical companies to harness the psychology of the mass market consumers. The recent proliferation of press coverage preceding the advisory committee review of Intrinsa closely resembles the pre-launch of sildenafil citrate, and has led to soaring rates of awareness among potential sufferers. In our forecast,awareness, coupled with an effort to seek help, are the two most sensitive correlates with market value.However, in the case of FSD, unlike erectile dysfunction, some of this awareness might be negative due to the safety concerns. The potential size of the FSD market means that discovery efforts are unlikely to cease, regardless of the fate of Intrinsa and the testosterone therapies. The FSD market value could exceed US$4 billion in the US alone with only 15% of patients captured on therapy.But many hurdles could prevent the realization of this market value. The mixed aetiology of disease could limit the uptake of drugs into niche segments. Moreover, an indication that limits therapy to post-menopausal women will weed out 75% of the sexually active population. Lastly, chronic therapies that must be used daily are less attractive options than PRN (as-needed) treatments such as sildenafil citrate, which could deter some users.