Recently, friends in the pharmaceutical industry have been complaining that the once-popular "little blue pill" – sildenafil citrate, commonly known as Viagra – is now selling poorly! This is no small matter, considering it used to be a "lifesaver" for men. How did it become a slow-moving product?
Viagra Slump: Are Chinese Men "Failing"?
According to internal data, sales in the entire pharmaceutical sector declined last year, but Viagra-like drugs suffered the most. In recent years, the number of people in China taking these drugs has been increasing, and they are getting younger. To meet market demand, the National Medical Products Administration has approved 91 different specifications of Viagra-like drugs for sale.
The "China Sexual Happiness Index Blue Book" released by the Chinese Sexology Association shows that over the past 10 years, the total number of people taking Viagra-like drugs has increased from more than 50 million to about 100 million, with the proportion of people under 30 increasing from 25% to 38%, making them the fastest-growing group.
Logically, with such high market demand, Viagra should be selling even better. But the reality is that Viagra sales plummeted in 2024.
In 2023, total sales of sildenafil citrate in China exceeded 1 billion tablets, with Jinge, produced by Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical, selling more than 100 million tablets. But in 2024, Jinge's sales were only over 80 million tablets, an average of 36,000 fewer tablets sold per day, while inventory increased by more than 50%. The situation is even worse for other pharmaceutical companies. Topscience Biotech directly lost 19.88 million yuan, and Conntide's profits declined by 32.45%.
Steep Decline in Sexual Frequency
Why is Viagra selling poorly? An article by Phoenix Finance provides the answer: the frequency of sexual activity among Chinese men is rapidly decreasing.
A joint survey by Peking University and Fudan University shows that in 2024, only 50% of married men born after 1995 have sex once a week, while the other half have none at all. Research data from Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital also shows that the frequency of sexual activity among Chinese men has been declining continuously from 2020 to 2024, with a sharp decline in 2024.
- In 2011, the proportion of couples with regular partners having sex more than 4 times a month was 62.5%;
- It decreased to about 50% in 2020;
- It rapidly declined to 38% in 2024.
A survey by The Paper shows that in 2024, the proportion of married men in China with a sexual frequency of less than once a month was as high as 11%. This means that for every 10 married men, more than 1 will not have sex with their wives for more than a month.
Even more shocking is that the "Sexual Depression Survey Report" by Peking University and Fudan University shows that more than 50% of married men with postgraduate degrees or above have sex less than once a month. The higher the education level, the less sex!
In addition, the report also shows that 14.6% of men born after 1995 have not had sex in the past year.
According to the "White Paper on China's Anti-ED Drug Industry" released at the end of 2024, the population with the highest proportion of drug use among ED patients is 31 to 40 years old, accounting for 44.69%; followed by 21 to 30 years old, accounting for 38.03%. That is to say, the 21 to 40 age group accounts for 82.7% of the entire anti-ED drug market demand.
Life Is Meaningless?
Why is this happening? Why do more and more Chinese men, especially young people, need to take medication to get an erection? And what is causing the sharp decline in Viagra sales?
The most fundamental reason is: life is meaningless, or rather, life is not so meaningful.
Whether for physical or mental reasons, men are losing interest in sex. Even if they don't get an erection, they don't want to buy medicine, they don't want to have sex.
Men, as animals, are more interested in sex when life is more interesting and hopeful. If they are struggling to make ends meet every day, or are constantly mentally suppressed, and don't know the goal and direction of their lives, then sex is not important.
In the past, Chinese men, even if they had erectile dysfunction, wanted to improve it by taking medicine. But now, they don't even have the motivation to improve. The biggest change in 2024 and 2025 is that Chinese men subjectively lack the motivation to have sex with women!
What will happen to a nation and a country if the men of that nation don't even need this thing?
On the surface, it is an economic recession, but in reality, it is a lack of confidence in the future. Lack of confidence in the country and society leads to a lack of confidence in oneself, feeling that there is no hope for the future.
If China wants to have a healthy future and for Chinese men to regain their vigor, it must overthrow the source of all evil.