« April 2007

Herbal sex drive capsules tainted by dose of Viagra
April 27, 2007

IT'S the kind of defence that might be employed by men who would prefer not to be sprung using an artificial stimulant.

But yesterday it was borrowed by the company whose his 'n' hers herbal sex treatments have been urgently recalled after being found to contain the prescription-only drug Viagra.

Asked just how the active ingredient for Viagra had found its way into treatments marketed on the internet as "using only herbs and botanicals known for some hundreds of years to increase erections, virility and sex drive", a spokesman for Herbal Health International said he had absolutely no idea.

"How the Viagra got into it? We don't know," he said.

But Herbal Health International had already cut ties with its supplier for Excite for Women and Ultimates for Men, he said.

"The product will not be back on the market."

Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration last week ordered the products be recalled after investigations revealed the capsules contained Viagra's active ingredient, sildenafil.

Advertisements recalling the products and warning sildenafil "could give rise to serious health consequences" ran in newspapers this week.

Herbal Health may still rise again. The company's spokesman said it had "found another supplier" and would soon market a new treatment that "will be a different, completely different, combination of herbs".

Whether or not it will be as effective as Excite and Ultimates is yet to be seen.

Consumer group Choice spokeswoman Indira Naidoo said many herbal remedies were unproven and untested.

"Many consumers believe that because they are available on pharmacy and health food store shelves that they have met certain tests, but they haven't and it's not until someone raises it with the TGA and there's an investigation that we really find out what the true composition of the treatments are," she said.

New herbal remedies, including the successors to Excite and Ultimates, should be tested before going on sale, she said.

 

 

 

 

Source: - http://sev.prnewswire.com