A "discreet" new form of Viagra which dissolves on the tongue is likely to arrive in Britain within the next five years.
Viagra has been used to treat erectile dysfunction for 25 years, but its famed little blue pill has now been reinvented.
The distinctive blue tablets can cause embarrassment for some patients but the thin orodispersible film (ODF) looks innocuous and does not need to be taken with water.
Viagra has become a pharmaceutical and cultural phenomenon since it first came to market in the 1990s after being invented by Pfizer.
The American firm created Viagra, known technically as sildenafil, in the 1980s to fight heart disease - but it did not work.
However, trial participants noted a side effect - frequent erections - and the drug was patented and approved as an erectile function medication in 1998.
Viatris, the Pfizer spin-off founded in 2020, now owns the Viagra name and brand. It has recently applied for a trademark in the UK specifically for the new form of the drug.
Thorrun Govind, pharmacist and health expert, told The Telegraph: "Tablets are not always tolerable to patients and also sometimes the size of tablets may put patients off having them.
"Some men may still be finding the concept of having Viagra ... embarrassing, but I would hope that men's health and conversations about sexual health have moved on since Viagra was first formulated. It's a positive step forward to look at new formulations."
The trademark application is a "good indication" that Viatris will bring the dissolvable film to the UK imminently, Rebecca Anderson-Smith, partner and chartered trade mark attorney at Mewburn Ellis, told The Telegraph.
Ms Anderson-Smith added: "UK trade mark registrations become vulnerable to cancellation for non-use if they have not been used for a continuous period of five years or more after registration. Therefore, it seems likely that Viatris intends to launch the product within the next few years."
Granting of a trademark would not guarantee the ODF could be sold, however, and the new form of the drug would have to be approved by the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
Around half of men over 40 have erectile dysfunction in the UK, and millions of Viagra tablets are sold every year.
Viatris said in September, when it launched the Viagra ODF in Canada, that it "offers a new option for those who value convenience and discretion".
The ODF product is expected to cost the same as the tablet version and to be available in the same dosages. Its "thin and discrete" films will be packaged in an aluminium pouch.
Dr Dean Elterman, a surgeon and associate professor of urology at the University of Toronto, said in September the discreet administration method might appeal to some people already familiar with Viagra.
"The option of not having to take Viagra ODF with water, as it dissolves on the tongue, may be an appealing option for those patients looking for convenience or discretion," he said.