Viagra gets over the counter approval in UK

Britain has become the first country to give over-the-counter approval for Viagra, meaning the erection dysfunction drug can be bought without a prescription.

Erectile dysfunction drug Viagra can now be sold without a prescription in Britain. (AAP)

Pfizer's big-selling erectile dysfunction drug Viagra has been given a green light for sale without a prescription in Britain, the first country to grant it over-the-counter status.

The US drugmaker says it is working on plans to launch the non-prescription version of the medicine, known as Viagra Connect, in the United Kingdom in the spring of 2018.

The drug will only be available in pharmacies and its supply will depend on pharmacists' assessment of its suitability for each individual.

Viagra has been one of the pharmaceutical industry's most successful prescription products since its launch in 1998, following a serendipitous discovery of its effects by researchers who had been studying it as a heart medicine.

Viagra is so far the only erectile dysfunction medicine to be reclassified from "prescription only medicine" to "pharmacy" status in Britain. The change follows a lengthy review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Pfizer will continue to make Viagra available as a prescription drug but the option of also buying it over-the-counter is likely to reduce demand for potentially ineffective and dangerous fakes, the MHRA says.