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Urgent warning after knock-off Viagra which can damage men’s health becomes UK’s biggest counterfeit drug
TV pharmacist Thorrun Govind advises men on how to avoid potentially dangerous Viagra pills
VIAGRA is now Britain’s biggest knock-off drug with counterfeits worth more than £6.2million seized last year.
Even more of the fake little blue pills were impounded than copies of addictive painkillers morphine and tramadol.
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Health chiefs warn dodgy online chemists are selling huge quantities of erectile dysfunction medicines.
Most are imported from India and South East Asia without a licence.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said investigators and police last year confiscated 2.6million doses of unlicensed sildenafil, sold under the name Viagra, worth £6.2million.
They also found 507,000 doses of dodgy tadalafil, brand name Cialis, worth £1.2million.
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Andy Morling, head of enforcement at the MHRA, said: “Erectile dysfunction drugs are available over the counter now but there’s still an illegal trade.
“The branded products are more expensive to buy and I think there is still an embarrassment factor.
“Some people don’t want to go through a consultant with a pharmacist, even online.
“And thirdly I think the younger generation are using these as a recreational add-on to their weekend, to make sure they are ready when they go out and not to cure a medical condition.”
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The biggest risk of buying medicines online is that it is impossible to know what’s in them.
Packs sold in shops and pharmacists go through strict quality control to make sure they are safe and effective.
In some cases buying from an unregulated website can be as bad as using a street drug dealer, Mr Morling said.
He added: “Online is the new front line — this is almost exclusively an online trade.
“There are tens of thousands of websites globally and many of them sell in sterling and ship to the UK.
“These are undoubtedly organised criminals and they face serious jail time.”
TV pharmacist Thorrun Govind said: “Fake medicines may not contain any of the active ingredients and may contain ingredients which are damaging to your health.
“Look out for dodgy websites with poor design, pop-ups and spelling errors.
“If the packaging is damaged or looks homemade you should double check the website to check it is legit.
“Always buy medication from a registered pharmacy.”
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