Can you buy Viagra over the counter at CVS? No: in the United States, as in Australia, Viagra is a prescription medicine, and the FDA's records list no sildenafil product for sale over the counter. The answer below is the US regulator's, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Is Viagra prescription-only in the United States?
Yes. The FDA's Drugs@FDA database lists VIAGRA (sildenafil citrate) 25, 50 and 100 mg tablets under application NDA 020895, first approved on 27 March 1998, and gives every strength the marketing status "Prescription" (Drugs@FDA — Viagra). The US label is filed as a "HUMAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG LABEL", and each pack panel reads "Rx only" (DailyMed — Viagra label, revised November 2023).
Is any sildenafil sold over the counter in the US?
No. Searched on 27 September 2026, the Drugs@FDA records list 106 sildenafil products under 58 applications: 79 with the status "Prescription", 18 "Discontinued" and 9 "None (Tentative Approval)". None has the status "Over-the-counter", which the same database gives to other medicines (FDA — Drugs@FDA data, openFDA). Generic sildenafil for erectile dysfunction has been sold in the US since December 2017, on prescription; the dates are in is generic Viagra available in the USA?
Is Viagra sold without a prescription anywhere?
In the UK, in one form. On 28 November 2017 the UK regulator, the MHRA, announced that "Viagra Connect (containing sildenafil 50mg) will be formally classified from a prescription only medicine (POM) to a pharmacy medicine (P)" (MHRA, 28 November 2017). That is a British classification: the FDA's records above and the Australian register below show no equivalent. The difference is set out in Viagra vs Viagra Connect.
What is the rule in Australia?
The same as in the US. In Australia "you need a prescription to get ED medicines", and a doctor assesses you first (healthdirect). The TGA states that sildenafil "can only be supplied to Australians with a prescription" (TGA), and the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods holds Viagra only as 25, 50 and 100 mg tablets (ARTG search). Where a prescription comes from is answered in how can I get Viagra without seeing the doctor?
The short answer
No. The FDA lists Viagra as a prescription medicine and no sildenafil product as over-the-counter, so in the US it is sold on prescription only. In Australia, too, sildenafil needs a prescription. The other over-the-counter questions are answered in our guide to buying Viagra over the counter or online.
