Cialis was first developed by a small Washington state based biotech company ICOS, to treat impotence or erectile dysfunction (ED). The company was founded in the U.S. and began operations in 1990. Of the original staff of 65 many are still members although the company is around 675 strong. ICOS was researching the possibility of producing a drug that would enable men, who had impotence problems, to continue to enjoy sexual relations. They came up with the product Cialis (tadalafil).

The company was well aware, of course, that a medication was already well established, Viagra, produced and marketed by Pfizer. ICOS has tremendous expertise in molecular, cellular and structural biology and was looking for a product that could be considered an improvement on the existing. What evolved was Cialis (tadalafil) which whilst it worked in a similar way, as a PDE5 enzyme inhibitor, it had different characteristics. Cialis is fast acting but remains ‘active’ in the blood stream for longer periods of up to 36 hours.

In February 2003 Cialis was launched onto the European market through a joint venture 50/50 partnership with Eli Lilly, the new company being known as Lilly ICOS. Cialis is now the biggest selling ED treatment in France and is used by millions of men worldwide. Cialis is now sold throughout 30 countries and received FDA approval on November 21st 2003.

Research continues into the uses for Tadalafil by ICOS. This includes hypertension, breathing difficulties caused through high blood pressure, and benign prostate problems. The company’s strong research and development team is determined to build upon the success of Cialis.