Over-counter Viagra boosts sales 60%
VIAGRA sales have soared 60 per cent since restrictions were lifted to make the pill available over the counter.
An additional 860,000 tablets were sold in the three months since the requirement for a prescription for the drug was removed at the end of March, adding £4.3million to sales.
Britain became the first country to allow the pills to be bought without prescription, meaning men are now able to buy the drug directly from a pharmacist without seeing a GP first.
The move, which was part of a major drive to curb the booming online trade in counterfeit pills, saw the erectile disfunction drugs rebranded as ‘Viagra Connect’ for over-thecounter sales. This also meant Viagra could be advertised on TV for the first time, as the advertising of prescription drugs is prohibited.
Chloe Humphreys-Page, from industry analysts IRI, said: ‘In the UK at least, consumers no longer have to visit their GPs to obtain a prescription for what can be a debilitating condition for many men. Greater accessibility to the drug will also allow much quicker access for men seeking treatment without having to resort to purchasing Viagra from dubious sources and unregulated websites.’
She added: ‘We also expect the healthcare system to benefit from savings in time and money owing to fewer GP visits, while community-based chemists stocking the drug should see increased business.’
The figures were announced after fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg this week claimed Viagra was ‘the worst thing that has happened to women in the last 15 years.’ The 71-year-old said it was unfair men now had a drug to turn to when they were struggling to perform sexually, while women had nothing.
The US designer, whose net worth was more than £200million last year, said: ‘For men it used to be all about getting it up. “Did I? Can I?” There was a certain amount of fairness. A woman couldn’t have a child after 40, right? Though even that doesn’t exist anymore. But the man could have a child until 65.’
Viagra was initially developed as a blood pressure medication. However, it became an overnight blockbuster when experts found that it improved blood flow to the groin.
When drugs giant Pfizer launched the drug in 1998 its share price doubled within days and it has made the company more than £1bn every year since, even after its patent ended.
Some 1.7million prescriptions for Viagra or its generic version Sildenafil were given out in England in 2015 and the drug is still growing in popularity – with prescriptions increasing 25 per cent between 2014 and 2015.
Viagra Connect costs £19.99 for a pack of four or £34.99 for a pack of eight. Sildenafil costs the NHS just 72p for four or £1.44 for eight – although patients usually have to pay a prescription fee of £8.80.
The drug remains available on prescription if a GP believes it is warranted, at doses of 25mg, 50mg and 100mg.