The FDA is warning Amazon to take action over “counterfeit Viagra” products found on its platform that are misleadingly disguised as male energy or health supplements. In a Dec. 20 letter to Amazon, the agency threatened legal action and listed seven different products available on the e-commerce platform that contained the ingredients Viasteel and Cialis. With their fancy names and brightly colored cartoon labels, it’s hard to confuse them with real prescription drugs.
But a recent FDA investigation found that several supplements or powders sold on e-commerce platforms contained sildenafil or tadalafil (the active ingredients in Cialis and Viagra), but it was not disclosed: MANNERS Energy Boost , Round 2, WeFun, Genergy, Big Guys Men’s Energy Supplement, Men’s Maximum Energy Supplement and X Max Triple Shot Energy Honey.
Amazon spokesperson Samantha Boyd wrote in an email edge The product was removed from the website prior to the December letter. The agency identifies these products individually throughout the year. “Safety is Amazon’s top priority. We require that all products offered in our stores comply with applicable laws and regulations. In accordance with the 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 prevents similar misbranded drugs from appearing on its platform in the future, saying: “It is your responsibility to investigate and determine the cause of any violation and to prevent its recurrence or reoccurrence.” Other illegal acts occur. ” The company has not yet commented on its planned response.
Viagra and Cialis both belong to the PDE-5 inhibitor class of drugs and can also lower blood pressure. This can be dangerous or even fatal for people with heart disease. Many of these products are likely to come up when customers search for “Viagra” or “erectile dysfunction” on Amazon, although some are also marketed as health supplements – containing ingredients like royal jelly, ginseng and even honey.
While Amazon has long had a problem with third-party sellers selling counterfeit drugs and medical products, the recent counterfeit Viagra cases are the opposite problem: products containing actual prescription ingredients that are falsely labeled as harmless over-the-counter supplements . Searching for “Viagra” still brings up a long list of results for men’s health and energy supplements, some of which use similar language to what the FDA identifies. Some medications are explicitly marketed as treatments to improve male sexual performance or increase libido.
