Lately, Tesco, a UK-based supermarket chain, announced that they will start offering Viagra for sale over the counter for a competitive price of £52 per 8 tablets. Tesco’s in-store pharmacies will make this drug available for purchase without a prescription to men aged 40 to 65 years. Their pharmacy staff will ask consumers to fill a questionnaire about their health history and undergo basic medical tests to ensure that this medication is right for them and that it won’t pose any risks to their health.

Some have already criticized Tesco’s move arguing that it might promote drug abuse and put consumers’ health at risk.

Many retailers and even Viagra’s own maker, Pfizer, have repeatedly tried to find ways to make Viagra available to consumers without a prescription, i.e. over the counter, but so far none has been authorized to offer this drug freely to anyone who wants to buy it without a doctor’s advice/prescription.

So, we will keep waiting for a “completely” over the counter version of Viagra.

The new product contains revised ingredients (some of which are also found in Viagra) that make it safe and available for use without a prescription, i.e. anyone will be able to buy it over the counter without seeing a doctor.

Pfizer has always been trying to make their in-demand ED drug as easily obtainable as possible, even if it was at the expense of the patient’s health. In fact, Pfizer has already sought to make Viagra available over the counter in Europe in 2007. However, they withdrew the application after the European Medicines Agency objected to the bid due to the potential health risks of Viagra, and to prevent increased misuse of this medication.

So, will this new ED treatment replace Viagra? Well, it will all come down to results. Even though OTC drugs are generally less effective than prescription-only ones, Pfizer may be cooking some “big” surprises in this new product. We will be following and posting updates on this story.