Cement mixer used to make fake Viagra

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Imagine taking painkillers to dull the pain but ending up with kidney failure or consuming Viagra and ending up with the urge to dance all night long.
Pfizer Inc, which produces Viagra, has expressed concern about the booming trade in counterfeit medicines in the Asia-Pacific region.
Its global security senior regional director, Donald Shruhan, said 3.5 million counterfeit Viagra tablets were seized in 2005, a seven-fold increase from 500,000 in 2003.
"Tests on counterfeit Ponstan tablets revealed that although it looks similar to the original, the imitation contains boric acid, which can cause kidney failure and even death. A fake Viagra pill was found to contain the same ingredients as Ecstasy," he added.
Those who consume counterfeit drugs are at risk because it will be ineffective, are produced in unhygienic conditions and have not been tested or approved.
"The counterfeit pharmaceutical products that consumers purchase may also contain toxic or unlisted ingredients, which may prove detrimental to their health."
In Egypt, a cement mixer was used to mix several different ingredients to make fake Viagra tablets.
"Counterfeiters are more concerned with the appearance of their product rather than the efficacy," Shruhan said.
Studies have shown that counterfeit medicines account for nearly 10 per cent or US$22 billion (RM74.8 billion) of the global supply of medicine.