The makers of Viagra are set to launch a new ‘discrete’ form of the drug that will replace the iconic — and instantly recognisable — little blue pill.
The distinctive diamond-shaped tablets could soon be replaced by a pink, rectangular ‘wafer’ that dissolves on the tongue, meaning it does not need to be taken with water.
About half of men over 40 suffer erectile dysfunction in the UK and last year there was a record 4.57million prescriptions for Viagra on the NHS.
The drug first came to the market in the 1990s after being invented by the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
It was first developed in the 1980s as a heart disease medication, but trial participants noticed it had an unusual side effect — frequent erections.
Now, Pfizer spin-off Viatris, which owns the Viagra name and brand, has applied for a trademark in the UK for the new form of the drug, Viagra ODF.
Viatris has already launched the Viagra ODF in Canada and advertised it as being ‘thin and discreet’ which may be preferable for many customers.
The distinctive tablets — which can cause embarrassment for some patients — has been reinvented and a new dissolvable type may be available to Brits in the next five years. Stock image
‘Tablets are not always tolerable to patients and also sometimes the size of tablets may put patients off having them,’ Thorrun Govind, pharmacist and health expert, told The Telegraph.
She added: ‘Some men may still be finding the concept of having Viagr embarrassing, but I would hope that men’s health and conversations about sexual health have moved on since Viagra was first formulated.’
Ms Govind believes this new design is a ‘positive step forward’.
The new dissolvable medication is thought to likely come to the UK imminently.
Rebecca Anderson-Smith, partner and chartered trade mark attorney at Mewburn Ellis, told the newspaper that the trademark application is a ‘good indication’ it will be available within the next five years.
She explained trade mark registrations can be cancelled if they are not used for a continuous period of five years or more after registration. As a result, it seems Viatris intends to launch the product within the next few years.
However, granting a trademark would not guarantee the ODF could be sold and it would have to be approved by the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency first.
It’s expected to cost the same as the tablet version and to be available in the same doses.
A total of 4.57million prescriptions for sildenafil, more commonly known by the brand name Viagra, and other types of impotency drugs sold under the brand names Cialis and Levitra, were dished out by the health service in 2023
This comes after dodgy Viagra was found to be Britain’s biggest counterfeit drug after more than £6.2million of fake blue pill were seized by UK regulators in 2023.
More supplies of the erectile dysfunction drug were found than knock-off versions of painkillers like morphine.
Health officials said online retailers flouting regulations were behind the counterfeit supplies with most being imported from countries like India without an appropriate licence.
Data, from UK regulator The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), show 2.6million doses of sildenafil, the generic name for the medication best known as Viagra, were confiscated last year.
Another half-million doses of tadalafil, another erectile dysfunction drug sold under the brand Cialis worth £1.2million were also seized.
While all medications carry potential side effects drugs from unreliable sources may either not work or carry additional ingredients or contaminants like heavy metals or other drugs that could be dangerous.
