Boots to sell Viagra over the counter, but not in Republic
LEGISLATION ON the dispensing of medicines will stop Irish branches of Boots of availing of a pioneering initiative which saw its high-street pharmacies in Britain become the first to sell Viagra over the counter.
Viagra, the anti-impotence drug marketed by the world's largest drug company Pfizer, is available in Ireland on prescription only.
Dr Ronan Boland, chairman of the Irish Medical Organisation GP committee, said the Irish Medicines Board had adopted a cautious approach to the over-the-counter provision of certain prescription drugs, and he shared their concerns.
"The provision of Viagra on an over-the-counter basis in Britain is part of a pretty liberal licensing regime there which, like anything, has its pros and cons and is open to abuse," he said.
"There is a huge illicit trade for drugs which target erectile dysfunction. Where people do genuinely suffer with erectile dysfunction, it might be a red flag for an underlying problem, such as diabetes," he said.
"Measures such as taking bloods and measuring glucose levels, however, are simply not available here.
"Pharmacies as they currently stand in Ireland cannot facilitate detailed patient analysis and assessment.
"Not every pharmacy has a confidential sound-proof room to discuss such sensitive issues in," he said.
But an Irish Pharmacy Union spokeswoman cautiously welcomed a potential change in legislation which would increase the number of over-the-counter medicines.
"Pharmacists are experts in medicines and are in a position to provide advice to patients on using medicines safely and appropriately," she said.
Following the success of a trial programme in three of its Manchester branches, Alliance Boots began to sell Viagra, which until then had been prescription only, in 29 branches of its Boots pharmacies last week.
British men who want to buy Viagra must register with a doctor and agree for their doctor to be informed of their participation in the scheme.
Patients complete a pre-screening questionnaire before having a 30-minute consultation with a pharmacist.
The pharmacist will then record the patient's medical history and conduct a series of tests, including checking their glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels in order to rule out an underlying health problem.
Boots outlets charge £55 (€64.95) for an initial screening and four tablets, with subsequent supplies of four tablets costing £26.59 (€31.40).
The British government has encouraged the direct provision of medicines to consumers in latter years, and has introduced "patient group direction" (PGD) legislation to facilitate this.
A PGD form, signed by a doctor and agreed upon by a pharmacist, acts as a direction to a qualified individual to supply prescription-only medicines to patients using their own assessment of patient need, without the necessity of referring back to a doctor for an individual prescription.
"At the moment, as the scheme to provide Viagra as an over-the-counter medicine has moved quickly from an initial trial stage to widespread implementation, we will look to bed that down first before moving on," said a spokeswoman for Boots.
"Obviously there are different protocols that govern how medicines are supplied in Ireland; in Britain there is a strict patient group direction initiative that allows us to sell drugs like Viagra without a prescription," she said.
Viagra will not be sold over the counter in the North either, because of different protocols
