Johannesburg - South Africans apparently loveblack market aphrodisiacs – but pharmaceutical industry leaders are warning that a moment of pleasure could end up costing your health.
The seizure of 401 000 tablets by the SA Revenue Service at OR Tambo International Airport last Thursday has again thrust the illicit trade of counterfeit and illegal sexual enhancers into the spotlight.
In what was said to be the biggest Viagra bust at the airport, customs officials discovered 24 boxes weighing 481kg.
“A full inspection of the boxes led to the discovery of 199 800 Zenegra (which have the same ingredients as Viagra) and 210 200 Viagra tablets with an estimated value of R40.1-million,” Sars spokesperson Luther Lebelo said.
Lebelo said he couldn’t confirm that the Viagra pills were meant for the black market, suggesting only that since the addresses on the boxes were for suburban areas, they could be meant for criminal kingpins in syndicates.
Earlier this month, Sars officials seized another 40 000 Viagra tablets at OR Tambo, which had been sent from Hong Kong.
“Immediately when importers avoid regulated lines of importing, there’s a problem because they aren’t registered and cannot be checked,” Pharma Dynamics spokeswoman Tumi Motsei explained.
“Even when the active ingredient dose is the same, one also needs to consider where the drug has been stored, whether it has expired or if the manufacturer used active ingredients from different sources, which all affects the way the drug is absorbed by the body.
“Counterfeit erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs have also been shown to contain potentially dangerous substances, including acid and paint,” she said.
She said some men bought the pills on the black market because they were too embarrassed to consult doctors over their ED, but also because they were cheaper.
Last year, The Star reported on the growing culture of young men – who don’t suffer from ED – buying illegal sexual enhancement drugs in night-clubs in Soweto and elsewhere for as little as R30 for a box of two pills.
Motsei said there were also hundreds of online websites where sexual enhancement pills could be bought for as little as R9 a tablet.
“There are literally hundreds of online websites where sexual enhancement pills can be bought cheaply. Currently, the cheapest legal version in South Africa goes for around R50 a pill.
“Counterfeit sexual enhancement drugs are heavily marketed online, and as so many of the websites fall outside the country’s borders, it makes it difficult to regulate.”
She warned that men should first consult their doctors before taking sexual performance enhancers.
The Star