Cost of living crisis sees own-brand Viagra! Boots starts selling impotence pills for just £15

Boots has started selling its own-brand Viagra, in a move hailed by doctors amid the cost of living crisis.

The chemist now offers a four-pack of impotence pills for £14.99 — £5 cheaper than the original version.

Both products contain sildenafil, which expands blood vessels and boost blood flow to the genitals.

Boots hopes the move will ‘increase accessibility’ for men struggling with erectile dysfunction as economic pressures ‘continue to rise’. 

Experts today welcomed it as ‘good news’ given the worsening cost of living crisis as it gives men a cheaper over-the-counter option for men.

Everyone in Britain faces a mammoth hit to their budgets, with some of the poorest having to choose between heating and eating. 

The price of filling a typical family car hit £100 for the first time this week, inflation has hit record levels and the average heating bill is expected to increase by around £700 this year.

Most men occasionally struggle to get or keep an erection due to stress, tiredness, anxiety or drinking too much alcohol. 

But up to one in five men in the UK (4.3million) suffer erectile dysfunction — when this keeps happening. 

It can be caused by high blood pressure or cholesterol, hormone problems or side effects from medication. 

Medicines containing sildenafil, originally developed to treat angina, are often used to treat the condition. 

Boots already sells another type of sildenafil for the same cut price, but that is called Liberize.

The new offering is plastered with the chemists’ own logo on the packaging.

Boots Sildenafil, taken an hour before sex, will be available online and at pharmacy counters in more than 1,400 stores.

It does not require a prescription but patients need to undergo an online assessment or have a consultation with a pharmacist in-store. 

A Boots spokesperson said: ‘As the cost-of-living pressure continues to rise, we know that great value and the best prices are more important than ever to our customers.’

They added: ‘We hope this will increase accessibility for men who experience erectile dysfunction in the UK.’

Dr Sarah Martins Da Silva, a senior lecturer in reproductive medicine at the University of Dundee, told MailOnline: ‘This is good news, particularly given the current cost of living crisis. 

‘It can be difficult to talk about problems with sex and seek medical help, so over the counter treatment is a good option for many, assuming they are otherwise well. 

‘It’s great to know that there’s a cheaper option for men experiencing erectile dysfunction.’

Dr Channa Jayasena, head of andrology at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, told MailOnline the move is positive one.

Unlike the Pill and menopause drugs, there is a huge stigma around men seeking treatment for reproductive issues despite it being a very common problem, he said.

Marc Donovan, chief pharmacist at Boots, said: ‘Erectile dysfunction is a common condition that affects most men at some point in their lives, and is generally nothing to be worried or embarrassed about.’

Viagra was originally cooked up by Covid vaccine manufacturer Pfizer in 1989, with hopes that sildenafil citrate could treat high blood pressure.

But clinical trials in Wales a few years later saw men report an unusual side effect —they got more erections while taking the medication.

The drug was approved in the US and EU in 1998, branded as Viagra, and became one of the fastest selling drugs of all time.