BRITAIN: As many as half the Viagra anti-impotence pills sold on the Internet could be counterfeit, British scientists have said.
They analysed samples sold on the Web and found that some of the little blue pills contained different components or less of the active ingredient than the top-selling drug made by pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer Inc.
"On our initial estimate, around half of those Viagra samples could be counterfeit," Dr Nic Wilson, of the University of London, told the British Pharmaceutical Conference.
Viagra, which works by allowing more blood-flow to the penis during sexual arousal, is a lifestyle drug along with hair-loss and weight treatments.
All are widely available on the Internet and major targets for counterfeiters.
With impotence, or erectile dysfunction (ED), affecting about 152 million men worldwide, there is a huge market for the treatment. It is estimated that half of all men over 40 experience some degree of ED, which increases with age. About 95 per cent of cases can be successfully treated.
The bogus drugs were branded and labelled Viagra and came in packaging identical to the real thing.
The scientists are not sure whether wrong components in the bogus pills are harmful, but at the very least it is highly probable the fakes will not work.
If the counterfeiters get the dose wrong and the bogus pills contain too much of the active ingredient, sildenafil, it could be dangerous.