The U.K. has become the first place in the world to allow Viagra, U.S. drug giant Pfizer’s mega-selling erectile dysfunction treatment, to be sold over the counter and without a prescription. Men seeking out the little blue pill will be able to buy Viagra Connect—which has the same central ingredient as regular Viagra—for about £19.99 for a pack of four pills and £34.99 for an eight-pack at the pharmacy.
Pfizer (PFE) has been fighting to get Viagra an over-the-counter designation in the U.K. for a while now. In fact, it made its first request for direct pharmacy sales of Viagra in the U.K. nearly a decade ago and has also tried to get the European Union to approve a change from prescription to over-the-counter status. Beginning in spring 2018, Pfizer says, the OTC version of Viagra will be available to consumers (as long as the pharmacist thinks it’s okay for the individual). That could help reduce some of the embarrassment factor that erectile dysfunction patients sometimes face.
Viagra has already faced competition from generic drug competitors in Europe after losing patent protection. In April 2020, it will also lose patent protection in the U.S., and generic Viagra versions will then be able to hit the American market.
Globally, Pfizer raked in about $1.6 billion in Viagra sales in 2016.