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Fake or cheap Viagra raises health concerns
15 February 2005
By LOUISE BLEAKLEY
Cheap and possibly dangerous counterfeits of Viagra are doing a roaring trade in New Zealand as Kiwis seek alternatives to the impotency drug, health professionals fear.
"Given that Viagra is increasing,
counterfeit Viagra is probably also increasing at a faster rate,"
Men's Clinic general manager Pieter Watson said. "Of course
they don't think of it as counterfeit Viagra. They think of it as
cheap Viagra."
Pfizer and Microsoft launched 17 lawsuits last
week against web-based pharmaceutical chains CanadianPharmacy and
E-Pharmacy Direct that supplied counterfeit drugs worldwide, probably
reaching New Zealand consumers, Pfizer spokesman Tim Jones said.
The lack of information about internet transactions meant Pfizer and government drug monitoring agency Medsafe did not know the extent of illegal internet trade in impotency medication.
"We assume it's out there, mainly due to the proliferation of spam sites that offer Viagra," Jones said.
Watson said interest in cheap or counterfeit alternatives to Viagra,
which cost about $25 a tablet, was likely to be riding on the back
of rising sales of the Pfizer drug.
"It's certainly a significant problem. Some of our patients have rung us to say they were trying to get some more cheaply than we were providing it ... largely because people are being bombarded with spam."
Queries regarding cheaper, fake drugs obtained over the internet had been increasing by about 20 per cent a year, Watson said. This was possibly because people using large quantities of the drug were beginning to resent the cost.
Viagra could be fatal if taken in unregulated doses or with certain drugs.
Medication formulated
to treat erectile dysfunction often contains phosphodiesterase 5,
an enzyme which relaxes blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.
"If you take it with any other blood pressure medication it can be fatal, especially for people who use nitrates and angina medication," Watson said.
Deaths from incorrect Viagra use had been reported overseas but Watson was not aware of any New Zealand cases.
Herbal impotency medication, which often evaded customs checks, contained undisclosed amounts of Viagra and was also risky.
Dr Rob Williams, of Christchurch Menz Medical, said the best way to reduce the cost of the medication was to cut the pill in half.
source:-http://www.stuff.co.nz | 
