Well introduces Viagra UK subscription service
This article was originally published in OTC Bulletin & The Rose Sheet
Well – the UK’s largest independent pharmacy chain with 800 pharmacies – has launched an online subscription service for Pfizer’s recently-launched OTC erectile dysfunction drug Viagra Connect (sildenafil).
Described as a “hassle free, discreet, online subscription service for men with erectile dysfunction”, the offering – named Eddie – enabled eligible UK men to sign up to receive a maximum of two packs of eight tablets a month on the geteddie.co.uk website.
Dan Sheldon, Well’s head of digital, said that the Eddie service was a “safe, friendly, convenient and simple way” for customers to get the treatment they needed.
“We developed the service in very close consultation with our expert pharmacists, to ensure all safety guidance and necessary checks are adhered to,” Sheldon added, “enabling men with erectile dysfunction to access Viagra Connect with absolute confidence, at the click of button.”
The Eddie website provides information on Viagra Connect and how it works, along with advice on erectile dysfunction, pricing for Viagra Connect and a customer account area for users to make and track orders.
All orders were delivered in “unbranded packaging”, Well pointed out, with no prescription fees or delivery charges to pay.
Viagra Connect was launched in April as the first OTC medicine for erectile dysfunction in the UK (OTC bulletin, 13 April 2018, page 15), following approval from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) late last year (OTC bulletin, 15 December 2017, page 1). Initially available exclusively in Boots stores for two weeks from 10-24 April, the product is now available from most pharmacy retailers across the UK.
Viagra Connect is available to UK men aged 18 years or older suffering from erectile dysfunction. Pfizer has produced a checklist for pharmacists to use when supplying the product to determine a man’s suitability.
Pfizer is currently backing Viagra Connect with its “largest ever marketing campaign for a consumer product” in the UK (OTC bulletin, 11 May 2018, page 16), including print and digital advertising and a forthcoming television advertising run.
A spokesperson for Well told OTC bulletin that digital advertising for the Eddie service had already begun, while a “comprehensive public relations and marketing plan” for Eddie would be rolled out in early June.
Expanding on what the service offered, Sheldon said that Eddie users had the option to by single packs of Viagra Connect – priced at £19.99 (€22.75) for a 4-tablet pack or £34.99 for an eight-tablet pack – or sign up to a monthly subscription service that automatically sends out the chosen amount each month.
“The added benefit of a subscription is that men do not have to be constantly reminded about a condition that may have negatively impacted their lives for years,” he claimed, “but can now just focus on the positive impact of effective treatment.”
Launching Eddie fitted into Well’s strategy of providing a wider range of online services, according to the chain’s chief executive officer John Nuttall.
“Digital services like Eddie are essential for the continued growth of our business,” Nuttall insisted. “Customer expectations and demands are ever-increasing and we need to evolve our offering to exceed those expectations and expand our customer base.”