Viagra not working? It may be a counterfeit

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Wonder why the Viagra or Cialis is not working? It may just be that it is not the real thing.
The Health Ministry has found that more than half of the counterfeit drugs seized were sold as sex stimulants or Viagra. Fake drugs with a face value of RM16 million were seized over the past 10 months.
Ministry Pharmaceutical Services Division principal assistant director Ahmad Nozrin Taharin said they were mainly sold through direct sales.
He said there was also evidence that Malaysians were "exporting" fake drugs.
Regular use of substandard and counterfeit drugs could lead to drug resistance, and in some cases, death, he warned.
There is little research in the country to indicate the extent of the local counterfeit drug market.
The only survey done was in 1997 on cough and cold medication which revealed that five per cent of such medicines in the market were counterfeits.
The bulk of what the pharmaceutical division has confiscated was traditional medicines adulterated with chemicals like sildenafil citrate and tadalafil which are used to make drugs such as Viagra and Cialis.
Many of these medicines also contained steroids.
The penalty for selling counterfeit drugs is a fine of RM25,000 for individuals or three years’ jail, or both. For companies, the fine is RM50,000. "This is peanuts compared to what they earn selling counterfeit drugs," said Ahmad.
He said counterfeiting drugs was an underworld activity and hard to investigate.
"It’s difficult to gauge the extent of the problem. Drug counterfeiting is becoming more sophisticated."
Ahmad said most of the latest counterfeit products looked similar to the original.
Those who have information on counterfeit products can contact the Pharmaceutical Services Division at 03-79682246.
Pfizer Malaysia corporate affairs director Narinder Kaur said in Asia, there were counterfeit drugs of Aricept, Celebrex, Diflucan, Feldene, Lipitor, Norvasc, Ponstan, Zoloft and Viagra.