• Miami Herald/AP, Tuesday, February 13, 2007 12 PM

Boots, the biggest pharmacy chain in Great Britain, plans to start selling Viagra over the counter on Wednesday--a day that carries the dual designation of Valentine's Day and National Impotence Day.

Under the scheme, men age 30 to 65 that want the impotence-fighting drug will have a one-hour consultation with a pharmacist, who will take their medical history and check blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels. If no medical red flags are raised, the men can buy four Viagra pills for $97. For a refill, they will have to see a private doctor.

Dr. Andrew McCullough, a sexual-health expert at New York University Medical Center, says that the concept sets a bad precedent; it is "basically prescribing medication without doctors." And Dr. David Ralph, a consultant urologist at University College London, said the plan would undermine the potential for physicians to make a comprehensive diagnosis, which might even pick up health problems of the men's sexual partners.

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