UK supermarket is granted licence to sell Viagra to reduce internet sales

From this week Tesco will be able to sell the erectile dysfunction treatment sildenafil (marketed as Viagra) in 300 pharmacies in its supermarkets across the United Kingdom without the need for a prescription from a GP.

The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency confirmed that sildenafil remains a prescription only drug and is not available over the counter—instead Tesco has been granted permission to dispense the treatment under a special licence called a patient group direction.

These licences are granted in situations where they offer an advantage to the care of patients without compromising their safety and also where they provide an opportunity for general health screening. The agency says that Tesco is registered with the Healthcare Commission and meets the statutory requirements for such directions, which include ensuring that the drug is supplied only by pharmacists.

Shona Scott, commercial manager for pharmacy services at Tesco, said, “The service is available to men aged between 40 and 65 years. They will have to complete a questionnaire, and we will then carry out a blood pressure test, diabetes screen, and cholesterol test. Provided that they are suitable we will discuss their options and can sell them an effective treatment. Only pharmacists can make this sale.”

The cost of the consultation and eight tablets will be £52 (€60; $82).

Sildenafil has been available from 30 pharmacies in the Boots chain since last year after a successful pilot scheme in Manchester in 2007. Boots charges £55 for the initial consultation and four tablets. Subsequent prescriptions are then charged at £57.43 for eight tablets.

A spokeswoman for the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency said, “The majority of clinical care should continue to be provided on an individual, patient specific basis. PGDs [patient group directions] can be used to meet the needs of patients who may not be identified before presenting for treatment and can provide an opportunity for health screening as well as providing treatment for the clinical condition to which the PGD relates.”

She added: “On a wider issue, some men are embarrassed to seek treatment for erectile dysfunction. This is not simply a lifestyle issue; erectile dysfunction is a recognised medical condition which in turn may be caused by a number of underlying medical factors. The supply of Viagra under a PGD which has been developed within a clear regulatory framework and under the supervision of a named pharmacist is far preferable to acquiring supplies via the internet. Internet supplies can often be expensive [and] of doubtful quality, [and are] sometimes counterfeit, and only rarely is there any attempt at a ‘health check’ before or after purchase.”

Erectile dysfunction affects around 2.3 million men in the UK. Half of all men aged over 40 will experience it at some point in their lives. However, only about one in 10 men seek help. Erectile dysfunction in an otherwise asymptomatic man may be a marker for underlying coronary artery disease.

A spokesperson for the British Pharmaceutical Society said: “Pharmacists can safely give such medicines as long as they have had the proper training and guidance.”

This is not the only example of a UK supermarket selling prescription only drugs under a patient group direction. In May Asda announced that it would start selling certain anticancer drugs on a “not for profit” basis, in particular some of the expensive drugs that are not available on the NHS or are available only in some primary care trust areas. If patients want these drugs they have to pay for them under a private prescription. The cost of cancer drugs through private prescriptions varies widely between pharmacies, which are able to charge at their discretion. Asda announced that it would sell gefitinib (Iressa), which is used to treat non-small cell lung cancer, for £2167.71 for a pack of 30 tablets. Boots charges £3251.57 a pack, and the Superdrug pharmacy chain sells it at £3253.56.