UK limits Viagra NHS prescriptions
LONDON, May 07, 1999 (Reuters) -- The British government on
Friday announced strict limits on the number of people who will
qualify to receive the controversial impotence treatment drug
Viagra free of charge as part of the National Health Service
(NHS).
Health Secretary Frank Dobson said men who did not qualify
would have to pay for the drug themselves after receiving a
prescription from their doctor.
Free prescriptions for the small blue pill will be restricted to a set
number of categories, including men who have been treated for
prostate cancer, and men with conditions such as diabetes,
multiple sclerosis, and PARKINSON'S disease.
Funding of Viagra has caused a storm about treatment rationing in
Britain, with some doctors and the British Medical Association
saying men with erectile dysfunction should be entitled to free
access to the drug.
But with one tablet costing nearly 5 pounds, Health Secretary
Frank Dobson was alarmed that the National Health Service
budget for treating erectile dysfunction could spiral to 10 times the
current outlay of between 10 and 12 million pounds.
The drug's maker, Pfizer Inc. of the US is taking the UK
government to court next week to try to overturn Dobson's initial
ruling that the drug should not be prescribed at all until a full
investigation of its implications had been carried out.
"We have completed a public consultation to help us 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, for example those with cancer, heart
disease and mental health problems," Dobson said in a statement.
"Today's decision means slightly more money than currently will be
spent on treating more men for impotence."
Dobson said three quarters of people responding to the
consultation thought there should be some limits on prescribing
Viagra.
However, the Health Secretary said the list of those eligible for
free treatment had been widened as a result of the consultation.
Doctors will be asked to limit prescriptions to one tablet a week
when the ruling comes into force in July.
Those eligible will also include men suffering from spinal cord
injury, single gene neurological disease, spina bifida and severe
pelvic injury, as well as men who have had polio.
For others caused severe distress by impotence, free treatment
will be available in exceptional circumstances after a specialist
assessment in a hospital.
Men who were receiving drug treatment for impotence prescribed
by their doctor before September 14 last year, the day Viagra was
approved for sale in Britain, but who do not fall into the selected
categories, will also qualify.
The UK government said its policy was not out of line with that of
other European countries.
"With the exception of Sweden, Viagra is not generally available in
European Union countries at the expense of their healthcare
system," the Department of Health said.
Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 Reuters Ltd.
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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