‘Viagra’ making headlines again in the UK

Abstract

I n 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.* 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