TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Viagra to be sold without prescription in Britain
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Drug prescription for treatment medication. Pharmaceutical medicament, cure in container for health. Pharmacy theme, capsule pills with medicine antibiotic in packages. (Shutterstock/File)
B
ritain is to become the first country in the world where the erectile disfunction drug Viagra can be bought without the need for a doctor's prescription from 2018, its maker Pfizer said.
The US pharmaceutical giant made the announcement late on Tuesday, saying it had received authorization from the British regulator following a public consultation.
The hope is that men who have not previously sought help will now be more likely to do so, although men with heart problems or taking "interfering medicines" will still need a prescription to purchase Viagra.
Officials also hope that the decision will avoid purchases of Viagra on websites operating illegally.
"This decision is good news for men's health," said Mick Foy, group manager in vigilance and risk management of medicines at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
"The move to make Viagra Connect more widely accessible will encourage men to seek help within the healthcare system and increase awareness of erectile dysfunction," he said.
Berkeley Phillips, UK medical director at Pfizer, said: "We understand some men may avoid seeking support and treatment for this condition, so we believe giving them the option to talk to a pharmacist and buy Viagra Connect could be a real step forward."
