Update on the Viridal Continuation Pack

Looking for a Viridal Duo Continuation pack?

Summary - Viridal Continuation packs have been permanently discontinued, you need to order the Viridal Starter product in your usual strength instead. If you have an NHS prescription you need to contact your GP surgery and request they prescribe the starter pack for you instead. You can have your NHS prescription sent to us to dispense if you are struggling to find stock locally.

In 2022 the manufacturers of the Viridal Continuation Pack, Advanz Pharma, announced that they would stop making this product.

Why has the Viridal Continuation pack been discontinued?

In a statement from Advanz Pharma, they stated the decision was made due to changes in regulation since the UK exit from the EU. They also very clearly added that “the decision to withdraw commercialisation of the continuation pack of Viridal was not based on any safety, efficacy, or product quality concerns, but due to a change in medical device regulatory requirements.”

From what we can gather, the manufacturer now intends for every pack of Viridal to come with a Viridal Easy-Duo® injector - this is the plastic device you place the cartridge into in order to administer the medicine.

These Easy Duo® devices used to only come with the starter packs and you would clean them and re-use them, occasionally replacing them when they got lost or broken.

The good news is that there are no problems with the medicine itself, but there will now be a potentially frustrating period while the message gets out to prescribers and updates on prescribing systems. 

I anticipate at some point that the packaging will also change over the coming year or so as Avanz Pharma moves from “Starter” and “Continuation” packs to just one single product.

This is not personalised advice. To speak to one of our clinically trained team about finding the right treatment for you, email us at [email protected] or call us on 01295 262925.

FAQs

Is there a Viridal Duo Continuation pack shortage?

Not exactly, a shortage implies that a product is hard to get hold of at the moment but that we expect it to come back into stock. In this case, Viridal Duo Continuation packs have been permanently discontinued and you will have to order the Starter pack instead.

Is there a Viridal Duo Continuation pack alternative?

The continuation packs have been discontinued by the manufacturer. You can order the Viridal Duo Starter packs instead - the medicine is exactly the same but the pack contains the Easy Duo® injector device as well as the 2 Viridal cartridges.

Alternatively, Caverject Dual Chamber is a similar product. The medicine is the same (Alprostadil) but Caverject is made by Pfizer so the injection device is slightly different. You can order these if you have used an injectable ED medicine before.