Cialis hits stores across the country in June according to an announcement on 31 May by Eli Lilly. It competes for the erectile dysfunction yuan with Viagra and Levitra, which entered China in 2000 and 2004, respectively.
When Viagra was introduced, it was colloquially called 伟哥, wěigē, or “great elder-brother”. Though inspired by its phonetic similarity to “viagra”, this name now refers to all ED drugs, with the big three called 洋伟哥, “great western elder-brothers”.
Their registered names are quite similar to each other, referencing power, love, and potential even as they maintain a superficial phonetic resemblence to their English counterparts:
Viagra: 万艾可, wàn’àikě
Levitra: 艾力达, àilìdá
Cialis: 希爱力, xīàilì
In related news, the May Harper’s Index, online today, reports a 100% rise since 1994 in “treatment for male infertility and erectile dysfunction in Shanghai.”
Links:
China Daily: “Lilly’s hard-sell” blurb on Cialis intro, and profile on Lilly’s plans for China