Viagra Trial!!

Following on from the last posting I couldn’t quite believe my eyes when I saw this latest news item from the BBC. Find it HERE.

It’s all about a Trial by High Street Chemists “Boots”, to dish out up to 4 Viagra tablets to all and sundry without needing a prescription. They’ve decided on a good day to start this trial which happens to be Valentines Day, How appropriate hey? Now maybe I’m just a cynical old git in thinking that by launching on this day people will look more at the Romanticism in it and not the much more serious matter of dishing out Prescription Only pills to one and all. Yes I know that hey have stated that they will attempt to do some basic tests at the store on patients obtaining these but you and I know that these will either not be done because of busy staff etc etc and even if they are they will nowhere near replace the experience and knowledge of a Trained professional i.e. a Doctor/GP. After all if this medication was safe enough for it to be given out “Over The Counter” so to speak, then it would have always been this way as in not needing a Prescription. Viagra is a pretty powerfull medication whose whole purpose is to increase blood flow via changes in the heart rate amongst other things and so is not to be played around with without caution.

There are lots of strong arguments I know in making a number of medications that are at present “Prescription Only” into “Over The Counter” administered and rightly so too, but I strongly believe that this one is most definitely not one of them!!

They state their main intention is to try and promote the treatments available for Male Sexual Dysfunction as it’s a bit of a Taboo subject that a lot of men will not go and see their GP about. But do they really think that someone who is not prepared to face say a 50yr old Male GP in a Private Consulting Room to obtain these pills but they will however go into a High Street shop and talk to, what might be a young Female Pharmacist about it?? I can just picture it now. A man finally gets to the front of the queue and asks the pretty young Trainee counter assistant for some Viagra. She shouts out at the top of her voice “Betty, this man want some Viagra, shall I send him over to you?” to the Pharmacist on the other side of the store. If this is truly their intention then maybe there is a better way of using their Branding to promote the issues I think.

See Ya!!