HSA Alerts Public to Five Illegal Sexual Enhancement Products Sold Online Found to Contain Potent Chemical Ingredients

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is alerting members of the public not to purchase or use five illegal sexual enhancement products sold online as these can cause serious adverse reactions. These illegal products were tested at HSA’s pharmaceutical laboratory and found to contain potent chemical ingredients, including the prescription medicine, sildenafil, which is used in the treatment of male impotence. They were detected through HSA’s ongoing surveillance of Internet sales activities. HSA’s investigations show that some consumers in Singapore may have bought the products online. The five products are:

No.	Names of products	Potent chemical ingredients found
1	STARKRx PERFORMANCE ENHANCER	Sildenafil
2	Stark-Rx
3	MAXIMUM STRENGTH SEXUAL ENHANCER
4	FORTA PLUS for Men	Nortadalafil
5	STUD 100® Male Genital Desensitizer Spray	Lignocaine

Please refer to the attached pdf for pictures of the products.

2    Three products, ‘STARKRx PERFORMANCE ENHANCER’, ‘MAXIMUM STRENGTH SEXUAL ENHANCER’ and ‘FORTA PLUS for Men’, claimed to contain only natural herbal ingredients. However, they were tested to contain either sildenafil or nortadalafil (refer to table above). Nortadalafil is a chemically-related compound of tadalafil. Sildenafil and tadalafil are prescription medicines used to treat male erectile dysfunction and can potentially cause serious adverse effects such as decreased or loss of vision and hearing, strokes, heart attacks and priapism (painful and exceedingly long erections). If priapism is not treated immediately, it may lead to permanent impotence. Sildenafil and tadalafil are also not suitable for patients with medical conditions such as certain heart-related problems or who are on heart medications such as nitrates. Deaths of patients found to be using sildenafil while on nitrates have been reported overseas.

3    ‘STUD 100® Male Genital Desensitizer Spray’ was found to contain high concentrations of lignocaine exceeding its permissible level in external preparations. Lignocaine is a medicine used to decrease or eliminate the feeling of pain. The inappropriate use of products with high concentrations of lignocaine can cause dizziness and low blood pressure.

4    Although HSA has yet to receive any adverse reaction reports associated with these products, this does not mean that these products will not cause any harm. Persons taking these products may not link the adverse effects they experienced with the product or share with their doctors that they are taking such a product. Consumers should be aware that illegal health products are generally produced under poor manufacturing conditions with no quality control, and the contents of the product can vary from batch to batch, which can pose serious health hazards.

Consumer advisory

5    Members of the public who are using these illegal sexual enhancement health products are strongly advised to:

(I) Stop using them immediately. Seek medical attention if you feel unwell or are concerned about your health.

(II) Do not gamble with your health. Be wary of health products making exaggerated claims such as “prolonging sexual stamina” or promising miraculous cures for any medical conditions such as erectile dysfunction. Do seek proper medical advice and treatment for medical conditions such as erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation and do not self-medicate.

(III) Be wary when purchasing health products from dubious online sites as it cannot be ascertained where and how these products were manufactured. Products sold online are likely illegal, which includes being counterfeit or substandard and may contain undeclared ingredients which can harm your health.

(IV) Visit www.healthdangers.sg to learn more about the dangers of illegal health products.

6    HSA is currently investigating the seller (a 33-year old male) of these illegal products and will take strong enforcement actions against individuals who engage in the sale and supply of health products containing undeclared medicinal ingredients. Anyone convicted of selling these illegal products may face a fine of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment for a period of up to two years under the Poisons Act and a fine of up to $5,000 and/or imprisonment for a period of up to two years under the Medicines Act.

7    Members of the public who have any information on the sale and supply of ‘STARKRx PERFORMANCE ENHANCER’, ‘Stark-Rx’, ‘MAXIMUM STRENGTH SEXUAL ENHANCER’, ‘FORTA PLUS for Men’, ‘STUD 100® Male Genital Desensitizer Spray or other illegal products may contact HSA's Enforcement Branch at Tel: 6866-3485 during office hours (Monday to Friday) or email: hsa_is@hsa.gov.sg.  

 

HEALTH SCIENCES AUTHORITY
SINGAPORE
21 APRIL 2015

Download pdf version here447 KB Published: 21 Apr 2015

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