Nearly a million Viagra pills have been sold since the erection drug became available without prescription and hit supermarkets and pharmacies in March
- Viagra Connect is first erectile dysfunction drug to be sold over the counter
- Sales have chalked up £4.3 million since it went on sale in March this year
- Some 60 per cent more pills have been sold now the drug is publicly available
- Removing prescriptions could make men more confident about seeking help
Nearly a million Viagra pills have been bought since it became legal to sell them without prescription in March.
The little blue pills can now be bought in pharmacies and supermarkets, and sales of Viagra Connect have reportedly brought in £4.3 million in the past four months.
Viagra Connect is the same drug which used to be exclusive to men with a prescription from their doctor, but it can now be bought over the counter.
Some 43 per cent of men admitted to suffering from impotence in a recent survey, and prescriptions for Viagra almost tripled between 2006 and 2016.
Britain is the first country to allow the drug to be bought without prescription, which could be encouraging more men to seek help with the embarrassing problem.
Viagra Connect became available to buy in pharmacies and supermarkets for the first time on March 27 this year
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Health officials said earlier this year they hoped allowing the drug to be sold to the public would crack down on illegal trading of it.
Research by the Coop Pharmacy in May revealed nearly half – 43 per cent – of men say they have erection problems sometimes.
And NHS figures revealed last year there were 2,958,199 prescriptions for sildenafil – the medical name for Viagra – in 2016.
This was nearly triple the number prescribed in 2006, when there were only slightly more than a million.
Some 60 per cent more pills were bought in June than in March, according to figures from retail analysts IRI, suggesting being able to buy Viagra themselves is making men more confident about seeking help.
Some 860,000 tablets have been bought
WHAT IS VIAGRA?
Viagra was developed in 1998 by accident, after scientists discovered it had benefits for sufferers of erectile dysfunction.
Manufactured by Pfizer, the magic blue pills are taken by more than one million men in Britain each year, figures suggest.
Most users are in their early to mid 50s, but younger people are starting to take the drugs more often, the pharmaceutical previously said.
Until 2013, only the US drug giant had permission to make the pills – costing on average £21.27 for a pack of four.
But since its patent expired, rivals have made generic versions containing the same active ingredient, priced at around £1.45 for the same amount of capsules.
Celebrities such as Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy magazine, and Hollywood actors Ben Affleck and Ashton Kutcher have previously admitted using Viagra.
Around 860,000 tablets have been bought since the rule was changed by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on March 27 this year, said trade magazine The Grocer.
And if people continue to buy it at the same rate, 3.4 million pills could be sold this year, making £17.2 million.
Prices of Viagra Connect generally range from between £4 and £5 per tablet, depending on the size of the packet and the strength of the pill.
Packs range from £20 to £100
At Boots, which was the first shop to offer the medicine over the counter, a pack of four 50mg tablets costs £19.99, while 24 pills can be bought for £101.98.
Viagra is used to treat erectile dysfunction, which is a condition in which men struggle to get or maintain an erection during sex.
The drug, known medically as sildenafil, was originally invented to help with angina – chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart – but medics discovered it had a surprising side effect.
It increases blood flow to the penis and, within 30 minutes to an hour it can produce an erection firm enough for sex, its creators say.
‘Our hope is selling Viagra Connect will encourage men to seek help’
Before the public launch in March Kristie Sourial, medical manager of its manufacturer Pfzier said: ‘It’s important to remember that erectile dysfunction is a medical condition.
‘The impact often goes beyond the physical symptoms – it can lead to men feeling anxious, depressed and lacking in confidence.
‘Our hope is that the availability of Viagra Connect in pharmacies will encourage men who do nothing about their erectile dysfunction to seek help, and encourage those who are inclined to seek help to do so sooner.’
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