Viagra to remain as prescription only tablet, says Pfizer

Viagra is an oral treatment for male impotence. Its manufacturer, Pfizer, had plans of making it a non-prescription drug, however now it has withdrawn its application that asked for a legal status for 50 mg strength of Viagra tablet to be made available without any prescription. The application was submitted earlier by Pfizer before the European Union (EU).

According to the Pfizer, the 50 mg strength of Viagra tablet can be suitable to be prescribed through pharmacies all over the Europe without any prescription, as it also meets guidelines of the European Commission.

The decision to withdraw the application however, was taken after European Medicines Agency (EMEA) showed some concerns relating to Viagra dosage. The EMEAs committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use may do another review of this Viagra 50 mg dosage, that Viagra offer to sell without any prescription.

About Viagra

Viagra was first launched into the market in the year 1998 by Pfizer. It pioneered the oral impotence treatment for men. Since then Viagra has helped treat around 35 million men with impotence problems worldwide.

Rory O’Connor who is the vice president of Medical and Regulatory Affairs at Pfizer says, “Viagra has a proven safety profile that has been well established in extensive post-marketing studies and in more than 120 clinical trials.”

He further adds, “We will continue to work with regulators in Europe to improve the availability of our medicines to patients and physicians and the benefits they get from our therapies.” In the European and other countries worldwide, Viagra is available only on prescription.

Viagra is effective and safe when taken under proper medical care, though it’s not free from side effects like all prescription drugs. It can cause some side effects that are generally mild and go away easily after some time. In addition, Viagra has some contraindications that you need to be aware of, or your doctor can let you know about these when you do consultation to obtain a prescription.