Spammers sued by genuine Viagra maker

US pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer has announced plans to sue dozens of online pill-peddlers who are ripping off its 'Viagra' brand and typically marketing their wares through the use of spam email.

'Generic Viagra' has become one of the boom products of the spam age as the anonymity of the internet appeals to men who may feel embarrassed speaking to their GP or pharmacist about the sensitive issue of impotence.

But Pfizer has now decided to crack down on the imitators and those who have made its hugely successful pills a byword for spam. The action includes an order to remove a large number of internet domain names which Pfizer says abuse the Viagra trademark - such as www.genericviagra.com, www.genericviagra.info and www.generic-viagra.net.

Jeff Kindler, executive vice president and general counsel at Pfizer, said in a statement: "Pfizer is taking these steps to help raise consumer awareness about the problems posed by illegitimate online 'pharmacies' and to directly address the source of these problems. We want it clearly known that Pfizer does not send or support the sending of spam, which comes from websites that illegally use the Viagra name."

Brian Lamkin, chief of the financial crimes section of the FBI, said: "It's often difficult for consumers to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate internet 'pharmacies'. These websites are cleverly designed to defraud consumers."