For the first time in 20 years, Viagra is set to become available over the counter in the UK this spring, reported the Daily Telegraph.
Manufacturer Pfizer hopes the imminent release of its over-the-counter product will help make up for flagging sales, as its global sales were $1.2bn last year, down almost half on $2.1bn five years earlier.
The US giant estimates more than a fifth of UK adult males aged over 18 suffer from erectile dysfunction, but few seek treatment.
The company has been training thousands of pharmacists on how best to consult people interested in buying Viagra, which will be available in 14,000 stores across Britain and via pharmacy websites.
The blue pill entered its third decade on Tuesday, and has become of great importance for many, after making sex possible again for millions of men and bringing the once-taboo topic into spotlights.
About 65 million prescriptions have been filled worldwide for the blockbuster Pfizer drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration on March 27, 1998, to become the first pill aimed at helping men improve their sexual capacities.
According to AFP, suddenly, talks on the effects of this amazing drug were all over television and magazines. A recent study showed that Viagra can help reducing risk of colorectal cancer in men.
The study said that the experiments conducted over mice showed surprising results that urged scientists to consider applying it on humans as soon as possible. Dr. Darren D. Browning, chemistry professor at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, who prepared the study, said this scientific surprise was discovered while observing the effect of the Sildenafil, Viagra’s main component on mice.
"Giving a small daily Sildenafil injection to mice has reduced the risks of colon cancer by up to 50 percent," Browning said. The chemistry professor concluded that these findings would prompt scientists to test the Sildenafil on humans, amid optimism that Viagra might become more versatile in men.
