Viagra firm launches new 'discreet' version - dissolving wafer ends embarrassment of being caught with the little blue pill
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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.'.