SPECIAL REPORT

Healthy Horizons
A brand new series of weekly segments which will explore the macro and micro issues facing the global economy.

LATEST FROM OUR BLOGS

» More

- Moon Hopes To Complete Amazing Story

MORE HEADLINES

» Markets | Economy | Companies

- GM CEO Starts Charm Tour at Opel Germany Headquarters

PHARMA'S MARKET VIDEO

» More

Making The Vaccine 06 Nov 2009
Inside the big push to get enough H1N1 vaccines, with CNBC's Mike Huckman.
Making the Flu Vaccine 06 Nov 2009
Wayne Pisano, CEO of Sanofi-Pasteur, discusses the making of the flu vaccine with CNBC's Mike Huckman.

Flu Fighting: On the Frontlines

06 Nov 2009

Flu vaccines were once a business that many drug companies avoided, but that segment of the pharma industry is now firmly in the spotlight. CNBC's Mike Huckman visits the only injectable flu vaccine plant in the US for a behind-the-scenes look.

Under the Flu Vaccine Veil

06 Nov 2009

J&J to Cut Up to 8,000 Jobs 03 Nov 2009
Johnson & Johnson says it will eliminate 6-7 percent of its workforce in a cost-cutting move. CNBC's Mike Huckman has the details.
J&J Announces Massive Restructuring 03 Nov 2009
Johnson & Johnson has announced a restructuring and that it will cut 6-7 percent of its global workforce. CNBC's Mike Huckman has the latest details.

RSS FEED

» Help

Subscribe to this RSS feed
Stay up to date with Pharma's Market.

CNBC ON DIGG

Pharma's Market

Text Size

Dec.26

2:15 PM ET

Friday, 26 Dec 2008

V Is For Victory & Viagra

Posted By:Mike Huckman

Topics:Medicine | Pharmaceuticals

Sectors:Pharmaceuticals

Companies:Pfizer Inc

Pfizer's Viagra
AP
Pfizer's Viagra
On what has to be one of the slowest news days of the year, especially for business, today’s “Washington Post” has a great watercooler item. It’s not anything material or stock-moving for Pfizer, the world’s biggest drug company, but it will get people (think late-night comics) talking once again about the little blue pill.

Reporter Joby Warrick put together a piece about how CIA agents are occasionally using PFE’s impotence-fighter Viagra to “make friends and influence people” in the renewed fight against the Taliban. The anecdotes in the article are pretty interesting and entertaining.

A Pfizer spokeswoman told me the company has no comment on the Washington Post story except to say that PFE was “certainly not” aware this was going on until the Post dug it up.

Bob Windrem, a senior investigative producer at NBC News, chased down the story with the CIA. He reports that agency officials have no comment. But a senior intelligence official says, “If it was done, it was done in a handful of cases.”

The official adds that no one’s gonna get in trouble for it. He tells Windrem the agency encourages officers “to think outside the box” and that whatever works within the U.S. law is fair game.

Pfizer [PFE Loading... () ] has talked a lot lately about expanding into emerging markets and how important that is to the company’s growth. I’m certain this is not what they’ve been referring to.