The service – which went live yesterday (November 16) – is available to men aged 18 years and above and “covers most aspects of men’s sexual health and wellness”, Boots said.

As part of the service, patients complete a consultation on Boots’ website, where they are also asked to confirm they have had a blood pressure test in the last two years.

A member of Boots' online consultation service – led by four pharmacist independent prescribers and a GP – then reviews and prescribes suitable medicines – including Viagra – to be delivered to the patient’s home, or collected from “up to 300” participating branches across the UK, Boots explained.

The service also includes a “starter bundle” of packs of four 50mg sildenafil tablets, four 10mg levitra tablets, and four 10mg tadalafil tablets, “so the customer can find which one suits them best”, it said.

Prices for the erectile dysfunction treatments start from £13, according to Boots’ website.

Responding to online demand

Boots UK director of pharmacy services and operations Asif Aziz said “more of [Boots’] customers are switching to online for their medication…particularly for more personal and sensitive health conditions”.

“Erectile dysfunction-related words are one of the most popular search terms on Boots.com,” he added.

The launch of the online erectile dysfunction service “marks the start of our strategic ambition to create a leading omni-channel pharmacy business”, Mr Aziz said.

In August, Boots’ online consultation service passed all of the Care Quality Commission’s inspection criteria. Read the full story here.