Sunday newspapers here in UK full of viagra articles. The following excerpt is, I think, of interest to us.
'Viagra on NHS will be rationed to prevent rush' The Sunday Times, 12 July 1998 - Michael Prescott, Chief Political Correspondent
".........Baroness Jay, the health minister, is examining ways to prevent the NHS from being hit by a "Viagra crisis" once a licence is granted. A government source said last week that she would prevent GPs from prescribing the drug. Instead, they would have to refer to a consultant anyone whose clinical disorder might benefit from Viagra.
The GPs will be expected to act as a "filter" to spot bogus patients hoping to "spice up" their sex lives. Advice will be issued to GPs so that consultants are not deluged.
Another source said the health department had faced a similar problem - though on a smaller scale - with Aricept, a drug for treating Alzheimer's disease. The government's medical advisory committee eventually recommended that it should be prescribed only by hospital consultants."
There will be debate in House of Commons on Tuesday. I said yesterday it appears that some doctors might be "difficult" and prescribe it - this would put pressure on their budgets for treating seriously ill people. They will blame a government that came to power with a promise to cut waiting lists. The lists have increased in length but the rate of increase has slowed down a bit.
So if men want Viagra here to spice up their sex lives it appears that they will have to buy it in the pubs (bars) or over internet, so Pfizer can still make plenty - although the government are trying and will probably fail to prevent this. Another article tried to draw parallels between drugs like Prozac and Viagra, suggesting that eventually all the fuss would die down and individual GPs would give Viagra away more or less reluctantly as they do now with many other drugs. I think this is wrong not just because of the cost to the NHS but because viagra is fundamentally different.
If, say, unemployed men are given Viagra free by GPs they could make some good pocket money on black market - ie down the pub. Pills were on sale together with ecstasy at Glastonbury pop festival. I've never heard of Prozac or antibiotics being offered for sale at discos or pop concerts.
IMO all this has some generally positive implications for the future of muse.
DaiS
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