Blue diamonds come down in price.

[Gob]

There can be few drugs in recent decades which have become so embedded in popular consciousness as Viagra.



The diamond-shaped blue pill revolutionised treatment for erectile dysfunction.

Its launch 15 years ago caused a sensation - for a time it was the fastest-selling drug in US history.

One of my colleagues wrote that some doctors were complaining of cramp after writing out so many prescriptions.

And as for the jokes - from the witty to the puerile - Viagra was the drug that kept on giving.

But from midnight on Friday the drug came off-patent. That means Pfizer will face tough - I hesitate to write stiff - opposition from rival firms who will be able to sell a generic version under its chemical name sildenafil citrate.

It will mean the price falling from up to £10 a tablet to perhaps less than £1.

Pfizer still has another seven years of patent protection in the US, but will be launching its own generic version of Viagra in the UK.

Sildenafil was created by scientists at Pfizer's Sandwich, Kent research facility. It started out as a treatment for high blood pressure but clinical trials revealed an unexpected side-effect of improved erections through increased blood flow to the penis.

The rest, as they say, is history.

The term "male impotence" was replaced by "erectile dysfunction" and a taboo area was normalised.

Football legend Pele was recruited to front a campaign about erection problems - although he told a newspaper that he could still do keepy-uppy and had no need for the pills himself.

"Viagra de-stigmatised erectile dysfunction and introduced the first treatment that was patient-friendly," said Jon Emms, Pfizer's UK managing director.

"It also encouraged men of a certain age - who didn't visit their GP - to talk their doctor; this led to other problems being identified and treated."

Viagra still produces around $2bn annual revenue a year for Pfizer, and is the company's sixth biggest product.

So what will happen now the sildenafil can be sold generically?

"The market size is likely to grow as the treatment becomes more affordable," said Dr Tom Brett, medical director of Lloydspharmacy Online Doctor.

"We also hope that the black market through illegal websites will shrink. Hundreds of websites have been shut down and 68,000 illegal doses were seized last year - although it's impossible to know the extent of the problem."

Most Viagra is bought privately. There are strict eligibility criteria for the treatment on the NHS.

Dr Brett said it is essential that men buy it from a trusted source so they can be sure the product is genuine and they can be assessed for any potential interactions with other medicines they are taking.

[Scooter]

First brand of generic sildenafil came out here earlier this year, about $9 for a 100mg pill vs. $14 per pill for the brand name version. But generic prices tend to be higher in Canada than in other countries because few generic manufacturers means lack of competition, plus the fact that sildenafil is not covered on government drug plans means that it does not have to be priced within the legislated ceiling of 25% of brand name price.

And yes, I know the prices from personal experience. Make whatever jokes you feel are necessary.

[Gob]

We're not going to give you a hard time over it.

[Scooter]

That's ok, it's already giving me a hard time. Several of them, in fact.

[Gob]

It left me feeling stiff.

[Gob]

My landlady had three lovely daughters.
They used to come and make my bed each day.
They used to come and clean my living quarters,
But their mother made quite sure they didn't stay.
There was Mary: she seemed chary;
There was Helen: she seemed well and truly sceptical about my qualities;
There was Julie: she was truly well-proportioned, but her caution
Brought exhaustion on my aching arteries.

But I was wrong: they weren't at all impervious
To the possibilities of high romance -
And I sensed a certain girlish nerviness
In the way they folded my pyjama pants.
And I was right, for late one night
Sweet little Mary, like a fairy,
As I lay sleeping, came a-creeping to my side.
She was mine: it was divine - but we were doomed, for very soon
Into the room came sister Helen, and she cried:

"Mary, go to bed!" Off Mary went.
"Now, young man," Helen said, "for your punishment,
"We mustn't have a fight, we mustn't make a row:
"Turn off the light - it's my turn now!"

Well, after all, I'm young and relatively vigorous,
And though I still protest my innocence,
By temperament I'm strictly un-polygamous,
And if I sinned, I sinned in self-defence.
Nevertheless I must confess I wouldn't miss that sort of bliss
And when it ended I was rendered comatose.
When, loud and clear, very near, in my ear a loud voice spoke
And I was awoken from my post-coital doze.

"Helen, go to bed!" Helen went away.
"Now, young man," Julie said, "you will have to pay!
"You've blighted Helen's charms, filched her purity.
"Open up your arms - come and filch me!"

I was amazed, and really rather tired;
I thought I'd given all that I could give.
A little kip was all that I desired,
But I'm British, so my upper lip was stiff.
She was chaotic, idiotic, quite exotic and ecstatic,
Acrobatic and emphatically fine.
All to no good, for when I could open my eyes, to my surprise
I found her mother looking into mine.

"Julie, go to bed!" Julie left the scene.
"Now listen, Ma," I said, "I know the old routine.
"I'll do what you like, but I shall be vexed
"And I'll bloody well go on strike if Grandma's next!"

[Joe Guy]

That's ok, it's already giving me a hard time. Several of them, in fact.

Maybe with some practice you might be able to do push-ups.

[Joe Guy]

We're not going to give you a hard time over it.

I can't think of Nut Thin to say...

[Lord Jim]

Blue diamonds come down in price.

This was disappointing...

I thought there'd been a drop in the price of smoked almonds....