20 years of Viagra: The little blue pill that changed the world

It’s 20 years since Viagra was licensed. Suzanne Harrington looks back on the history of a drug that revolutionised many people’s sex lives

Every few decades a drug comes along that, as well as addressing a medical issue, causes a shift in the wider culture. Almost 60 years ago, the contraceptive pill gave women full control of their fertility, which changed everything; 30 years ago, Prozac shone a light on the hidden illness of depression; and 20 years ago, Viagra allowed men to talk openly and publicly for the first time about the taboo of erectile dysfunction (ED) so that soon it was no longer quite such a taboo.