Can you buy Viagra over the counter in the UK? Not in Australia, where sildenafil and tadalafil are prescription-only. In the UK, one form of it: Viagra Connect, a 50 mg sildenafil tablet for erectile dysfunction, is a pharmacy medicine there, sold after a discussion with the pharmacist. In Australia "you need a prescription to get ED medicines", and a doctor assesses you first (healthdirect).
What does over the counter mean in the UK?
Any medicine you can buy without a prescription. The UK regulator, the MHRA, says the term "covers all general sales list medicines and pharmacy medicines" and "is informal and is not used in the UK medicines regulations". The two are sold differently. General sales list medicines can be bought "from retail outlets such as corner shops and supermarkets". Pharmacy medicines can be bought "only from a pharmacy and in the presence of a pharmacist", and "are not usually displayed on open shelves". The MHRA names "medicines for erectile dysfunction" among its examples of pharmacy medicines (MHRA guidance, updated 3 September 2026).
Which sildenafil can be sold without a prescription in the UK?
50 mg tablets, in packs of up to 8, for men over 18 with erectile dysfunction. On 28 November 2017 the MHRA announced that "Viagra Connect (containing sildenafil 50mg) will be formally classified from a prescription only medicine (POM) to a pharmacy medicine (P). This means it could be available without prescription for use by men over 18 who have erectile dysfunction" (MHRA, 28 November 2017). The MHRA's table of approved reclassifications lists sildenafil twice, both times as a 50 mg tablet with a maximum pack of 8: Viagra Connect on 28 November 2017, and "Sildenafil film-coated tablets" on 19 September 2019 (MHRA table of approved reclassifications). The rule itself, and who may not be sold it, is on can Viagra Connect be bought over the counter?
What stays prescription-only in the UK?
Sildenafil outside those terms. When it reclassified Viagra Connect, the MHRA wrote that "Sildenafil is currently a prescription only medicine" and that "Medicines containing sildenafil will still also be available to obtain on prescription"; the pharmacy terms set a "Maximum daily dose: 50 mg" (MHRA public assessment report). No other sildenafil strength appears in the table. A prescription-only medicine "can only be obtained with a valid prescription issued by an authorised health professional", and "A member of the public cannot buy a prescription-only medicine" (MHRA guidance). How Viagra Connect compares with prescribed Viagra is set out in Viagra vs Viagra Connect.
Does the UK rule apply in Australia?
No. A search of the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods for "viagra connect" returns no matching results (ARTG search, 27 September 2026), and tadalafil, sildenafil and dapoxetine "can only be supplied to Australians with a prescription" (TGA). Ireland has its own rule: can Viagra be bought over the counter in Ireland?
The short answer
In the UK, Viagra Connect, a 50 mg sildenafil tablet, is a pharmacy medicine, sold after a discussion with the pharmacist; sildenafil outside the pharmacy terms needs a prescription. In Australia every erectile dysfunction medicine, sildenafil and tadalafil included, needs a prescription, whatever the brand. What that means in practice is in can you get Viagra without seeing a doctor? The other over-the-counter questions are gathered in can you buy Viagra over the counter or online in Australia?
