Sale of the anti-impotence drug Viagra won unanimous Legco backing last night but the long-awaited pills may not be available for weeks.
Health officials said the vote meant the drug could be legal for use on prescription by February 5.
But manufacturer Pfizer, which last year made more than $4 billion from Viagra sales in more than 50 countries, said it could take up to a month for supplies from its Sydney factory to be shipped.
Urologists expect a stampede when the tablets become available, with 10 per cent of men in the SAR believed to be impotent.
The Hospital Authority is yet to decide whether doctors in public hospitals will prescribe Viagra, and whether patients will be asked to pay the full $100 each pill will cost.
A panel of experts including cardiologists, psychiatrists and urologists has recommended public doctors prescribe up to 10 pills a month for men with erectile dysfunction. Patients would have to pay for their own tablets.
'This really is a new era in treatment,' said Kwong Wah Hospital urologist and panel member Dr Andrew Yip Wai-chun.
