Hundreds of thousands of men could enjoy a boost to their love lives following an NHS decision to dish out much more Viagra on prescription.
Until this month, only men who suffered impotence as a side effect of illness or those evaluated by a specialist could be given the pills on the NHS.
But since Viagra’s patent ran out last year, its cost has plummeted by 93 per cent as generic versions of the drug have become available.
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nly men who suffered impotence as a side effect of illness could be given the pills on the NHS
Because of this, the NHS has ruled that all men with serious impotence problems can now be prescribed the drug.
Doctors have welcomed the change – which came into effect on August 1 – saying it had the potential to save relationships. Half of all men aged between 40 and 70 are estimated to suffer from erectile dysfunction.
However, others claim increased demand for the drug will add to GPs’ already heavy workloads.
Until a year ago, branded Viagra pills, made by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, cost £21.27 for a pack of four.
But after the firm’s patent expired in June 2013, rival companies have been allowed to make ‘generic’ versions containing the same active ingredient, sildenafil, priced at just £1.45 for four pills.
Mark Speakman, president of the British Association of Urological Surgeons, said the original restrictions, introduced in 1999, had been designed to save the NHS money.
‘They made the fairly arbitrary decision that if you had a discrete illness – like prostate cancer, diabetes or a spinal cord injury – you could get it on the NHS,’ he added.
‘But if you were a man of a certain age and wearing out a bit, you could only get a private prescription and you had to pay full whack.’ The Department of Health said that it did not believe the relaxing of restrictions would lead to a rise in spending.
In 2012, the NHS in England spent £88 million on providing erectile dysfunction drugs to 180,000 men, of which £43 million went on branded Viagra.
Under the new rules, it estimates demand could nearly double in three years to 330,000 and cost the NHS £68 each time a patient is prescribed sildenafil.
However, the reduced price in the cost of the drug means overall spending on the condition would not rise. Dr John Chisholm, chairman of charity Men’s Health Forum, said the move ‘would make a great deal of difference to the mental wellbeing and happiness of these patients’.
‘It’s not a myth that relationships can be put in jeopardy by erectile dysfunction. This decision will enable some relationships to flourish when they’re being threatened.’
Doctors have welcomed the change - which came into effect on August 1 - saying it could save relationships
Visiting a doctor to ask for the drugs could also help men to identify the underlying causes of their impotence, including serious health problems, he added. ‘Erectile dysfunction can be a sign of underlying illness like diabetes, coronary heart disease, or peripheral arterial disease.’
Dr Andrew Green, chairman of the British Medical Association’s clinical and prescribing sub-committee, said the change ‘partially corrects an historic injustice done to men and their partners who were denied an effective treatment for a distressing condition’.
But Dr Imran Rafi, chairman of clinical innovation and research at the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘You need to be careful. There can be side effects for some patients and sildenafil can react with other drugs.’
Taking sildenafil with nitrates drugs such as the angina spray GTN can lead to a sudden and serious loss of blood pressure, he warned.
Doctors are also concerned about sildenafil being used as a recreational drug. Viagra – both the branded and generic versions – has been linked to 134 deaths since 1998, according to the UK drugs regulator, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. Almost half were caused by heart problems.
A Department of Health spokesman said: ‘Erectile dysfunction is a common and distressing condition and may be a sign of more serious underlying health problems. Now this treatment is cheaper we have made it more widely available on the NHS. We hope this will encourage more men to visit their GP.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2732953/Britain-braced-bargain-Viagra-boom-Thousands-impotence-pills-NHS-price-plunges-93.html#ixzz3BR4UEyqi
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