The multiple launched its first own-brand treatment for erectile dysfunction containing the active ingredient sildenafil earlier this week (June 13), to coincide with Men’s Health Week.

The pharmacy medicine will be available both in store and online, retailing at £14.99 for a pack of four and £26.99 for a pack of eight, Boots said.

Although patients can access sildenafil without prescription, they will need to consult with a pharmacist before purchasing in store or complete a “suitability assessment” via boots.com, “to make sure it is appropriate for them”.

“We hope this will increase accessibility for men who experience erectile dysfunction in the UK,” a Boots spokesperson told C+D.

Boots also rolled out what it has hailed “the UK’s first ever treatment for both thrush and BV” last week (June 7).

Boots Dual Action Thrush and BV Pessaries is priced at £11.99 or £9.99 for Boots Advantage Card holders and is also available both in store and online.

Products target cost-of-living crisis

The multiple is responding to patient “demand for value and quality” in launching the two products, a Boots spokesperson told C+D, especially “as the cost-of-living pressure continues to rise”.

The multiple has also “committed to freez[ing] the price of 1,500 products to help ensure they remain affordable”, a measure that will continue until the end of the year.

“The list of products spans a number of categories, such as toiletries, haircare, dental, health, wellness and beauty”, the Boots spokesperson told C+D – ranging from a 16-pack of the multiple’s own-brand paracetamol for £0.49 to a blood pressure monitor that retails at £19.99.

Steve Ager, chief customer and commercial officer at Boots UK, said the multiple froze the prices of day-to-day essential lines and those most bought by customers.

“We want customers to feel reassured that the prices of a large selection of health and beauty favourites will be staying the same,” he explained.