Hey Alexa, Quit It With Illegal Viagra, FDA Says -Gudstory

The FDA is warning Amazon to do something about “bootleg Viagra” found on its platform, deceptively disguised as men’s energy or health supplements. In a letter to Amazon dated December 20, the agency threatened legal action and listed seven different products available on the e-commerce platform with ingredients found in Viagra and Cialis. With strange names and brightly colored, cartoon-like labels, it would be hard to confuse them with real-deal prescription drugs.

But a recent investigation by the FDA found that many supplements or powders sold on e-commerce platforms contained sildenafil or tadalafil (the active ingredients in Cialis and Viagra) and failed to disclose: Manners Energy Boost, Round 2, Vifun, Energy, Big Guys Male Energy Supplement, Men’s Maximum Energy Supplement, and X Max Triple Shot Energy Honey.

Amazon spokeswoman Samantha Boyd wrote in an email. the verge The products were removed from the site prior to the December letter. The agency had identified different products throughout the year. “Safety is a top priority at Amazon. We require that all products offered in our store comply with applicable laws and regulations. Following FDA’s previous guidance, we removed the products in question earlier this year.

In its letter, the FDA also asked Amazon to explain how it will prevent similar mislabeled drugs from appearing on its platform in the future, saying, “You will investigate and determine the cause of any violations.” The company has not commented on what it plans to do in response.

Viagra and Cialis are both in a group of drugs called PDE-5 inhibitors, which also lower blood pressure. This can be dangerous or even fatal for people with heart problems. Many of these products likely surfaced when customers searched “Viagra” or “erectile dysfunction” on Amazon, although some were also marketed as health supplements – including royal jelly, ginseng, and even ​That ingredients like honey were included.

While Amazon has long had a problem with third-party sellers selling counterfeit drugs and medical products, this most recent case with bootleg Viagra is the opposite problem: products containing genuine prescription ingredients that are mislabeled as harmless OTC health supplements. is done. A search for “Viagra” still returns a long list of results for men’s health and energy supplements, some of which use language similar to that identified by the FDA. Some are explicitly marketed as treatments to improve men’s sexual performance or increase their libido.