One man in five dies before the age of 65.
TOGETHER we can change that.

Forum welcomes pharmacy Viagra

28/11/17 . News

The decision by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to allow Viagra Connect to be sold without prescription in pharmacies has been welcomed by the Men's Health Forum.

Martin Tod, Chief Executive of the Men’s Health Forum said:

We welcome the change. If this means more men find it easier to get advice and help for erection problems, that can only be a good thing.

Erection problems can be very distressing. Sometimes men end up buying fake drugs online without talking to anyone to try and do something about it. Erection problems can also be a sign of other health issues like heart disease, diabetes, mental health problems or high blood pressure.

Anything that means men are more likely to talk to a health professional about their erection problems and get the help they need is very welcome.

Viagra Connect has been classified as a pharmacy medicine meaning it could be available without prescription for use by men over 18 who have erectile dysfunction (ED). Previously, Viagra was only available on prescription. 

The MHRA say the decision was made following a reassuring assessment of the safety of the Viagra Connect, advice from the Commission on Human Medicines, and a postive public consultation earlier this year.

If marketed, men will be able to buy the medicine from pharmacies following a discussion with the pharmacist. Pharmacists will be able to determine whether treatment is appropriate for the man and can give advice on ED, use of the medicine, potential side effects, and advise if further consultation with a general practitioner is required.

Viagra Connect will not be sold to those with severe cardiovascular disorders; at high cardiovascular risk; liver failure; severe kidney failure; or taking certain interacting medicines. Use of Viagra Connect in these groups of men must continue to be under the supervision of a doctor.

The Men’s Health Forum need your support

It’s tough for men to ask for help but if you don’t ask when you need it, things generally only get worse. So we’re asking.

In the UK, one man in five dies before the age of 65. If we had health policies and services that better reflected the needs of the whole population, it might not be like that. But it is. Policies and services and indeed men have been like this for a long time and they don’t change overnight just because we want them to.

It’s true that the UK’s men don’t have it bad compared to some other groups. We’re not asking you to ‘feel sorry’ for men or put them first. We’re talking here about something more complicated, something that falls outside the traditional charity fund-raising model of ‘doing something for those less fortunate than ourselves’. That model raises money but it seldom changes much. We’re talking about changing the way we look at the world. There is nothing inevitable about premature male death. Services accessible to all, a population better informed. These would benefit everyone - rich and poor, young and old, male and female - and that’s what we’re campaigning for.

We’re not asking you to look at images of pity, we’re just asking you to look around at the society you live in, at the men you know and at the families with sons, fathers and grandads missing.

Here’s our fund-raising page - please chip in if you can.

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  • 82 Tanner Street
  • London, SE1 3GN

Charity registered in England and Wales (no. 1087375). Company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (no. 4142349).