‘Viagra’ making headlines again in the UK

Abstract

In the UK, both media and public attention are focused on sildenafil [‘Viagra’; Pfizer]. Secretary of State for Health Frank Dobson has announced which patient groups will qualify for impotence treatments, including ‘Viagra’, on the National Health Service (NHS), effective from 1 July 1999. ^* Other patients not included in this restrictive prescribing list will be able to get sildenafil from specialists but only in ‘ exceptional cases of extreme distress ’, according to the UK Department of Health. Perhaps prompting this type of decision is the fact that ‘Viagra’ is classified as a ‘lifestyle medicine’ - an intervention for a condition that in itself is not life-threatening. Also, the NHS is worried about the potential for high patient demand for the oral erectile dysfunction (ED) therapy. ¹