What is the difference between Viagra and Viagra Connect? The medicine is the same, sildenafil, but Viagra Connect is a UK product for erectile dysfunction that British pharmacies may sell without a prescription. It is not sold in Australia. Here you need a prescription for every erectile dysfunction medicine (healthdirect), and the only Viagra on the Australian register is the prescription tablet in 25, 50 and 100 mg.
What is Viagra Connect?
A 50 mg sildenafil tablet that the UK regulator moved from prescription-only to pharmacy sale. On 28 November 2017 the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (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). It was "the first application for a sildenafil product to be available as a pharmacy medicine" (MHRA public assessment report).
In 2026 a second UK form followed: Viagra Connect Melts, a 50 mg sildenafil film that dissolves on the tongue, reclassified from prescription-only to pharmacy medicine in the same way (letter to UK healthcare professionals, 27 April 2026).
How is Viagra Connect sold in the UK?
Only in pharmacies, after the pharmacist has asked about your health. In the MHRA's words, "the medicine will be sold from pharmacies following a discussion with the pharmacist. Pharmacists will be able to determine whether treatment is appropriate for the patient". It "will not be sold to those with severe cardiovascular disorders; at high cardiovascular risk; liver failure; severe kidney failure; or taking certain interacting medicines", and for those men its use "must continue to be under the supervision of a doctor" (MHRA, 28 November 2017).
How does Viagra Connect compare with Viagra?
| Viagra (Australia) | Viagra Connect (UK) | |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine | sildenafil | sildenafil |
| Strengths | 25, 50 and 100 mg tablets | 50 mg only |
| Status | Prescription only | Pharmacy medicine, sold after a discussion with the pharmacist |
| Usual dose | 50 mg about an hour before sex; can be changed to 25 or 100 mg | 50 mg about an hour before sex |
| Most in a day | One dose | One 50 mg tablet |
| On the Australian register? | Yes, since 4 September 1998 | No |
The Viagra column comes from the ARTG, healthdirect and the EMA summary of the Viagra label (EMA). The Viagra Connect column comes from the terms the MHRA set for pharmacy sale: "Dose: 50 mg tablet to be taken as needed with water approximately 1 hour before sexual activity", "Maximum daily dose: 50 mg" and "Maximum pack size: 8 tablets" (MHRA public assessment report).
Is Viagra Connect weaker than Viagra?
No. 50 mg is also the usual starting dose of prescribed Viagra (EMA). The difference is the ceiling: Viagra Connect stops at one 50 mg tablet a day, while a doctor can lower prescribed sildenafil to 25 mg or raise it to 100 mg, depending on how well it works and on the side effects (EMA). The safety rules do not change with the name: sildenafil is never taken with nitrates, the medicines often prescribed for angina (healthdirect), and never more than one tablet in 24 hours (healthdirect — Sildenafil).
Can you get Viagra Connect in Australia?
No. A search of the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods for "viagra connect" returns no matching results (ARTG search), and a search for "viagra" returns three medicines: VIAGRA sildenafil 25, 50 and 100 mg tablets, all entered on 4 September 1998 (ARTG search; both searches run on 27 September 2026). The register's sildenafil entries include tablets, capsules and sublingual wafers, but no film that melts on the tongue (ARTG search for sildenafil). Products that are not on the ARTG "are not approved for supply in Australia, have not been reviewed for safety or quality" (TGA).
The UK's pharmacy status does not apply here. In Australia, "you need a prescription to get ED medicines", and the doctor will "assess your condition and check if ED medicines are right for you" (healthdirect). More in can you get Viagra without seeing a doctor?
Does Viagra Connect look like Viagra?
Much the same. The UK letter describes the Viagra Connect tablet as a "Blue, diamond (shaped) film-coated tablet" and the Melts film as "pale red". What the Australian Viagra tablets look like, and why colour proves nothing on its own, is covered in what colour are Viagra pills?
What about generic sildenafil, Viagra Professional and Kamagra?
None of them is Viagra Connect, and each has its own page. Generic sildenafil is the same medicine as Viagra under another name: generic sildenafil vs Viagra. "Viagra Professional" is not on the ARTG: Viagra vs Viagra Professional. Kamagra has no ARTG entry either: Kamagra vs Viagra.
The short answer
Viagra Connect is 50 mg sildenafil that UK pharmacists may sell without a prescription, after a discussion, to men over 18. It is not on the Australian register, and in Australia sildenafil needs a prescription whatever the brand. The ED medicines are compared side by side in our comparisons guide.
