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THE International PharmaceuticalFederation (FIP) has released a new handbook to help pharmacists support patients managing erectile dysfunction (ED), co-authored by Canberra pharmacist and Men’s Health Downunder (MHDU) founder Brad Butt (pictured), with a foreword from FIP President Paul Sindair, former Pharmacy Guild of Australia Vice President.
A practical and comprehensive tool offering evidence-based guidance on both pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to supporting patients with ED, it covers topics from understanding the condition to assessment, diagnosis, treatment strategies and psychological support.
The aim is to enable pharmacists to take a proactive role in helping patients make informed decisions about their treatment and health.
“Those pharmacist who have looked over the educational material within that publication, and thus have a little bit of knowledge, could then say, ‘just putting it out there we know that people who have diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure can also suffer with ED, and if you need any support with this, the GP is a great person to talk to’,and then we can include that in the patient’s notes,” he suggested.
Effective management of ED can involve a combination of approaches, including pharmacotherapy, medication review, lifescyle changes,psychological counselling, and the use of approved medical devices.
It notes that community pharmacies offer a convenient setting for screening and early detection, through point-of-care testing, as well as the delivery of pharmacological treatments and lifestyle interventions, including tobacco cessation, stress management and weight control.
But are pharmacists ready to have the conversation?
“In Australia we are in a fortunate position because we do have some pharmacists trained up in scope who would be more comfortable having those conversations and looking at a person’s health globally,” Butt told Pharmacy Daily.
“Those pharmacist who have looked over the educational material within that publication, and thus have a little bit of knowledge, could then say, ‘just putting it out there we know that people who have diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure can also suffer with ED, and if you need any support with this, the GP is a great person to talk to’,and then we can include that in the patient’s notes,” he suggested.
“Many pharmacies have got private consultation spaces so these conversations can be had in both a tasteful and confidential manner,” he added.
With respect to over-the-counter preparations, there is not much a pharmacist can recommend for the management or treatment of ED at this point in time that is evidence-based and effective.
However, the future may see drugs such as sildenafil, tadalafi and vardenafil supplied without a prescription or prescribed directly by pharmacists in Australia as they are in other countries.
With various solutions of dubious worth pro1iferating, Butt is concerned there are not enough checks and balances in place to ensure safe and effective treatment, which is where the handbook. with its evidence-based approach comes in.
“This publication is comparable to Therapeutic Guidelines in terms of references and peer review – it’s a quality document, a fantastic resource, and it would be great if my
pharmacy colleagues were interested in having a look at it,” Butt concluded.
The handbook is HERE.
(BY) KB
Pharmacy Daily
Published 30 May 2025
