Pfizer’s flagship product Viagra (sildenafil) is becoming available as an over-the-counter product for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) for the first time. Marketed as Viagra Connect, the new product will aim to tap into the 4.3 million-strong market in the UK.

As of 27 March, people in the UK have been able to purchase the medicine from local pharmacies off-prescription. The move follows a reclassification review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) last November and will see Viagra becoming a key asset in Pfizer’s consumer health division.

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Struggling sales

Pfizer will hope that this switch to OTC will compound some of the loss in global revenue experienced over the previous years, which has declined year-on-year from $2.5bn to $1.2bn.

Revenue losses have mostly been attributed to the rise in unlicensed and counterfeit ED products available online on the black market. The MHRA seized more than $67m worth of these medicines in the past five years.

Sales are expected to decrease further as a result of the recent approval of two Viagra generics from Teva and Pfizer in December 2017, two years before the original patent expiration.

A new strategy

Around a fifth of men (4.3 million) in the UK suffer from a form of erectile dysfunction, however the uptake of the drug through prescription is low with 2,958,199 filed in 2016 (NHS Digital).

At a price point of $7 per pill, the Viagra Connect product is more expensive than the prescription form. Nonetheless, Pfizer will hope the over-the-counter strategy will encourage consumers to move away from counterfeit products, and later seek professional help to encourage prescription sales.