The program has been launched after a pilot trial in Manchester, where men were required to have a half-hour consultation with the pharmacist to buy Viagra

The pilot trial showed that there was a positive reaction to the new Viagra scheme, as some men found it easier to talk to a relative stranger rather than their family doctor.

They also said that they felt uncomfortable bothering their doctor about erectile dysfunction, as they saw it as a natural consequence of aging.

In research conducted by Boots, it was revealed that 47% of men would rather suffer from impotence than talk to anyone about it.

This ‘embarrassment factor’ has already led to a massive boom in men seeking medications like Viagra over the internet, attracted by the anonymity offered.

However, while there are online clinics such as UKMeds4U.com which offer official Viagra legally and with a doctor’s prescription, this internet market has seen many men resort to buying counterfeit fake generic viagra.

Impotence can be an early symptom of an underlying problem such as heart disease, so the current regulations required a doctor’s prescription for Viagra to make it more likely that such problems could be caught early.

It also ensured that Viagra would not be given to men with contra-indications for the medicine.

Boots say that during their trial scheme, their half-hour consultation and pre-screening questionnaire lead to over 200 men being referred back to their doctor to get checked out for suspected health problems.

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