Viagra to be made in Britain

VIAGRA, THE anti-impotency drug, is to be manufactured in Britain from next year.

Psizer, the US pharmaceutical giant behind Viagra, has sanctioned a multi- million pound investment in production facilities at its factory in Sandwich in Kent. The pounds 5m plant will make Viagra for the UK market only. Psizer already has two factories in Europe making the best-selling drug - one in Ireland the other in France.

Kenneth Moran, the managing director of Psizer UK, said: "We hope to manufacturing Viagra in the UK in the not-too-distant future." He said the company aims to have UK sales of the drug, worth pounds 50m a year, in four years' time.

Mr Moran also said that Psizer hopes to get approval soon for Viagra to be prescribed on the NHS. It is currently only available on private prescription. Some doctors are charging patients up to pounds 300 for a consultation before they will prescribe the drug.

Psizer plans to sell Viagra to the NHS for pounds 4.85 for a 50mg tablet, but on the black market a single dose can fetch up to pounds 50.

The drug took pounds 350m and 12 years to develop. Psizer said that 10 per cent of the UK male population is impotent and that of those one third might be eligible for Viagra treatment.