Men are warned: buying fake Viagra poses serious health risks

As we have reported in the past here at Medical Specialists, the problem of fake, or so called generic Viagra sold online, continues to pose serious health risks to men worldwide. In Australia analysis of pills from 22 different websites, claiming to sell drugs such as Viagra and Cialis, found 77 per cent of samples were fake and contained only 30 to 50 percent of the active ingredient advertised on the label, the Australian reported.

According to Dr Stephen Ruthven, president of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand, many of the counterfeit drugs also contained undeclared substances such as gypsum, found in fertiliser, commercial paint and printer ink.
The study, by San Diego Sexual Medicine’s Dr Irwin Goldstein, suggested that the fakes could also contain other harmful ingredients including antihypertensive medications. Dr Ruthven said, “Self medication of this kind carried very real health risks. Many people simply assume they are buying the real product, when in fact many online purchases from international sites are illegal counterfeits.”

The study comes after Australia’s drug regulator last week, warned men not to buy or consume two products, claiming to contain 100 per cent herbal ingredients, Ultra Men for Men and Rock Hard for Men. An investigation by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) found the products contained two undeclared prescription substances, tadalafil and glibenclamide.

Tadalafil is the active ingredient in Cialis, a prescription-only erectile dysfunction product, and glibenclamide is used to control blood glucose levels. The TGA said the tablets, which a number of Australians have bought online, had not been assessed for quality, safety and efficacy. The place of manufacture was also not approved by the regulator. The commercial supply of the supplements in Australia is illegal. The TGA warned consumers to be extremely cautious when buying medicines from unknown international internet sites. The worldwide sales of fake drugs in 2010 were estimated to be about $73 million.

Dr Ruthven said, “Erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra and Cialis targeted vulnerable men. Men often feel embarrassed about discussing the condition with doctors, but it is important to do so to properly diagnose the problem, and rule out other health risks, including metabolic problems and heart disease.”

The TGA advised consumers to be extremely cautious when buying medicines from unknown international internet sites. This is advice that here at Medical Specialists we strongly agree with, people looking to buy medication for erectile dysfunction should only obtain it from registered pharmacies that dispense genuine Pfizer Viagra or Lilly Cialis, display the necessary credentials such as the GPhC (General Pharmaceutical Council) green logo along with the registration number and that offer an online consultation with a doctor to ensure the medication is both right and safe for you.

Viagra Sales Online Soar in lead up to Valentine’s Day!

Sales for erectile dysfunction medication such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra have increased rapidly over the weekend leading up to Valentines Day in 2011.



The firm Walters Kluwer Pharma Solutions revealed data showing that some 199,500 Viagra prescriptions were written in the week before Valentine’s Day 2010 in America, equating to more than 1.3 million Viagra tablets. That is more than 26% more than the lowest-use week of the year: the end of November when families traditionally start to gather to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Dr. Irwin Goldstein, urologist and director of the San Diego Sexual Medicine centre at Alvarado Hospital, joked: “It’s not Valentine’s Day, its Viagra Day.” He said that: “Valentine’s Day is the one day in the 365-day calendar where interest in intimacy and romance is memorialized.”
Goldstein says there is nothing wrong with men looking for an extra ‘oomph’ on Valentine’s Day. He says that having sex on Valentine’s Day is something that many couples look forward to, like sex at Christmas or on a birthday.

Many men have cut back on spending and going out, but when it comes to Valentine’s Day, they have got themselves well prepared. Some have booked a table at a restaurant, while others are staying in for a cosy night with their partner. Others are staying at a hotel for the night, and some are even going away for the weekend.
The one thing they all have in common, is that they are all expecting a little something extra later on, and so have bought Viagra online to make sure it is a very special night for both of them.

For anyone else that has not managed to get themselves prepared already, and would like to know a little bit more about where to Buy Viagra Online please click the highlighted link.

Pharmacist avoids jail for illegally advertising prescription-only Viagra

A Pharmacist from Manchester, who advertised Viagra illegally, has luckily avoided an immediate jail sentence.

Mr William Parsons advertised Viagra and other prescription medication used to treat male impotence on his website Potency.co.uk which has now been removed from the web.

Parsons, who also ran a pharmacy in the Peak District, was given a suspended nine-month jail term at London's Southwark Crown Court on Thursday after previously being convicted of three counts of advertising prescription-only medicine.

Passing sentence, Judge Peter Testar said: "This defendant has behaved in a way that he knows was illegal. That's the mischief of what he has done. He sought to defend the indefensible."

The court heard Parsons ran the website and the Hayfield Pharmacy in Derbyshire from 1999 until he sold the combined businesses and premises for just under £500,000 in 2007.

Parsons used blank prescriptions obtained from a doctor in Cyprus to prescribe the drugs himself to customers visiting the website. The site boasted "special offers" on the drugs. Kennedy Talbot, prosecuting, estimated Parsons made more than £1,000 a month from sales.

An inspector from regulatory body the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) visited the pharmacy in 2006 where the blank prescriptions were discovered. The inspector subsequently visited the website where he discovered the illegal offers.

Parsons was warned by the MHRA he would have to change his website in order to comply with the law, but the pharmacist refused.

Judge Testar said: "He carried on with the plainly illegal activity of advertising prescription only drugs. He simply decided he wasn't going to comply with the law. He thought if he carried on he wouldn't be stopped. These are regulations that are there for the protection of the public. The requirement of a prescription is there for a good reason."

The Judge said he had intended to pass an immediate custodial sentence but had decided not to as Parsons was the main provider of care for his sick wife. The nine-month sentence was suspended for two years. Parsons was also ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work in the community.

jails giving Viagra to hardened criminals

London, Jan 24 (ANI): Lags freed from Belmarsh jail, south London, on home leave are being handed Viagra to make sure they perform between the sheets when they visit their loved ones.

A source at the prison said convicts serving long sentences could suffer a loss of libido when faced with the prospect of nookie after a long stint behind bars.

"On your first home leave, meeting up with the missus or girlfriend can be a bit daunting. If you have Viagra your pocket, at least you know you're going to be able to deliver," News of the World quoted a lag as saying.

However, news that the 5-pound-a-go little blue pills which boost men's sex drive are being freely dished out to serious hard men will enrage victims' families.

One prison insider said: "It's pretty rich. The system in England, Scotland and Wales is making Viagra available so prisoners can perform between the sheets when they visit their loved ones.

"Inmates nearing the end of their sentence or those held at open prisons are eligible for home release. It must be costing a fortune," the insider added.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman confirmed: "We issue Viagra after the prisoner has met with the jail's GP. A clinical decision based on the prisoner's health would be made."

Viagra's discovery

Viagra's discovery


Even the fastest selling drug of all time, Viagra, is not used for what it was originally intended.
It started life as plain old UK92480, a new treatment for angina, a heart condition that constricts the vessels that supply the heart with blood.
The drug company Pfizer was looking for something that would relax these blood vessels, however its trials in people were disappointing

Pfizer were about to abandon further trials when the trial volunteers started coming back and reporting an unusual side effect - lots of erections.
Pfizer senior scientist Chris Wayman was charged with investigating what was happening. He created a model 'man' in the lab.
He took a set of test-tubes filled with an inert solution, and in each one placed a piece of penile tissue, taken from an impotent man.
Each piece of tissue was then connected up to a box that, at the flick of a switch, would send a pulse of electricity through the tissue.
Applying this current of electricity mimics what happens when a man is aroused.
The first time he did this nothing happened to the vessels. However, when he added Viagra to the tissue bath the penile blood vessels suddenly relaxed - as they would for a man to give him an erection.
He said: "What was amazing about this study was that we saw a restoration of the erectile response. Now we were on to something which could only be described as special".
Before the launch of Viagra in 1998 there was no oral treatment for erectile dysfunction, the only options were an injection or a fairly gruesome prosthetic implant.
Now, thanks to a failed Angina treatment, men had another option. Viagra is now one of the most prescribed drugs in the world.

Horizon: Pill Poppers can be seen on BBC Two on Wednesday 20 January at 9pm or afterwards via BBC iPlayer

World Cup 2010 - England recommended Viagra at World Cup

A sports scientist has recommended giving the England team Viagra at next year's World Cup in South Africa to help them cope with playing at altitude.

Doctor Richard Pullen, who is working with the FA, said the anti-impotence medication would boost the players' lung capacity while they train and play in Rustenburg, nearly 5,000 feet above sea level.

He said: "I'll point out to the England squad the potential benefits of using Viagra for games played at altitude.

"It's scientifically proven that the process of how Viagra works in the body, by enlarging the blood vessels, can improve performance of some athletes.

"Also known as sildenafil, it's been used by football teams in South America and some cyclists because it's not a banned substance.

"I'm sure several countries at the World Cup will consider using Viagra."

England are expected to pitch their tent in the north-western city of Rustenburg where they will play the USA in their opening game, on paper their stiffest opponents in Group C.

Should England qualify as runners-up from a group that also includes Algeria and Slovenia, progress is likely to be more difficult as there is a good chance they will face old rivals Germany in the second round.

Bookies have installed England as third favourites for the tournament, making them bona fide contenders, but an FA spokesman said the drug was unlikely to be used to help the players raise their game.

"The England medical staff are conducting detailed research with a variety of experts ahead of next year's World Cup," the spokesman said.

"However, there has been no discussion with regard to Viagra and certainly no plans for the players to take it in South Africa at the tournament."