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Doctors have given
the decision a cautious welcome, saying some men with a clinical need
for Viagra may still be "arbitrarily" denied it. NHS managers say it
is a "sensible and fair" decision. The government's announcement
follows interim guidance issued in January that Viagra would be restricted
to certain groups of patients. Doctors
criticized
this as being "unfair" and "irrational" and the
British Medical Association (BMA) advised members to disobey the advice.
The guidance was subject
to consultation with health workers. The government says
it has received 861 responses and has decided as a result to increase
the number of patients who will get the drug. In January, Viagra
was limited to people with diabetes, multiple sclerosis or other single
gene neurological diseases that cause impotence, spinal cord injuries,
those who have undergone radical pelvic surgery and those had had their
prostate gland removed. Men who were in severe distress because of impotence were also able to have prescription Viagra on the NHS if a hospital specialist recommended it. You can now buy brand name Pfizer Viagra in the UK at discounted prices (click here order) New Rules Concerning Viagra Prescriptions in the UK Under the new guidelines,
the following men will also qualify for
Viagra on the NHS:
Men who were receiving
impotence treatments on the NHS before 14 September 1998 will also qualify.
Mr Dobson said GPs
should be restricted to prescribing one pill a week. The restrictions on
Viagra apply to all other impotence treatments. Mr Dobson justified
the restrictions on the grounds that the cost of making it widely available
could not be justified in terms of his duties to the NHS as a whole.
Viagra now becomes
only the seventh drug to be restricted for this reason under Schedule
11 of NHS (General Medical Services) Regulations issued in 1992. GPs will be able to
write private prescriptions for Viagra for their patients. The proposals will
come into effect on 1 July, subject to parliamentary approval, and will
be reviewed in a year's time. Mr Dobson said three
quarters of the 861 replies he had received supported restrictions on
NHS availability of Viagra. Ten per cent wanted
the drug to be banned altogether, he said. And over half said
other impotence treatments should be similarly restricted or banned.
Mr Dobson said he
had to find "a sensible balance between treating men with the distressing
condition of impotence, and protecting the resources of the NHS to deal
with other patients". NHS managers had warned
widespread access to the drug would cost the government £100m a year.
The change in guidelines
is expected to raise the cost of NHS Viagra from £12m a year to £14m.
The debate over Viagra
prescriptions has highlighted the issue of NHS rationing. Doctors and campaigning
groups claimed the January restrictions meant only 15% of impotent patients
would be eligible for Viagra on the NHS. They said the other 85% would have to buy the tablets privately, at a cost of £12 each. The NHS can buy the drug for £9.86 per tablet. You can now buy brand name Pfizer Viagra in the UK at discounted prices (click here order) The drug's manufacturer,
Pfizer, this week announced that it was suing the government over guidance
issued in September when the drug was approved for use in European Union
countries. The government told
doctors not to prescribe
Viagra until further notice - unless there
were exceptional circumstances. Pfizer says this was illegal. It is estimated that one in 10 men in the UK suffers from impotence and could benefit from a Viagra prescription.
Individuals can now buy brand name Pfizer Viagra
in the UK at
discounted prices
(click here order) |
