Materia Medica Malaysiana

More M’sian men turning to illegal sex stimulants

PETALING JAYA: More Malaysian men are turning to illegal sex stimulants, thus fuelling the burgeoning drug industry in the country.

Health Ministry’s Pharmaceutical Services Division Director, Datuk Mohd Zin Che Awang, said Saturday that of the RM14.98 million worth of unregistered drugs seized by the division between January and February (see report on Page 6), some RM9 million worth were sex stimulants.

“There is an increasing demand from Malaysian men to boost their sex drive. The main reason could be due to a surge in male population and the illegal industry takes this opportunity to manufacture these drugs to fulfil the demand,” he said at a news conference at his office, after giving a briefing on the growing threat of unregistered drugs in the country.

He said most of the drugs seized lately contained Tadalafil and Sildenafil, both chemicals widely used to treat erectile dysfunction or impotence in men.

The illegal sex stimulant drugs industry was not only thriving on local demand but also from overseas, he said.

“We have received complaints from as far as Bahrain a Tongkat Ali Plus exported from Malaysia,” he said.

The product was believed to have tested positive for Sildenafil, which is classified as a schedule poison.

“The Drug Control Authority would like to advise the public against buying and using Shitek Tongkat Ali 400mg and Longeria Capsules.

These two products were tested and found to contain an ingredient which is not allowed to be used in traditional medicines and could be deleterious to the health of the user,” said Mohd Zin.

He advised the public not to purchase or consume these drugs as they could lead to severe side effect, especially among heart and diabetic patients, and those suffering from high blood pressure.

“Sildenafil and Tadalafil are medicines, which can only be prescribed by doctors for men diagnosed with the condition of erectile dysfunction.

These drugs could interact with other medicines resulting in serious adverse effects such as lowering of blood pressure if used together with the antihypertensive drugs,” said Mohd Zin. - Bernama