technobill
February 9th, 2001, 08:47 AM
TOKYO (Reuters) - A soft drink containing an ingredient of the
impotence drug Viagra has been banned by Japanese
officials.
The acted after advertisements for the drink, touted as "the
solution to your nighttime problems," appeared in men's
magazines and on the Internet.
Some 47,000 bottles of the non-prescription drink were
imported from China a year ago, and all but 4,000 had already
been sold, mainly in pharmacies around Nagoya, western
Japan, said a local government official there.
Each bottle of the drink contained 64.3 milligrams (mg) of the
chemical sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, far more
than the 25 or 50 mg in one tablet of Viagra sold in Japan, the
official said.
"It could definitely have the same effect as Viagra," she said.
Each 20-milliliter bottle was priced at 3,000 yen ($25.70),
compared with 1,100 to 1,300 yen per tablet for Viagra. The
official said the drink contravened Japanese drug laws.
The firm that imported the drink said it was made from
squeezed Chinese fruits resembling grapes, and it was
unaware of the chemical, Kyodo news agency reported.
An estimated 9.8 million men in Japan suffer from erectile
dysfunction.
impotence drug Viagra has been banned by Japanese
officials.
The acted after advertisements for the drink, touted as "the
solution to your nighttime problems," appeared in men's
magazines and on the Internet.
Some 47,000 bottles of the non-prescription drink were
imported from China a year ago, and all but 4,000 had already
been sold, mainly in pharmacies around Nagoya, western
Japan, said a local government official there.
Each bottle of the drink contained 64.3 milligrams (mg) of the
chemical sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, far more
than the 25 or 50 mg in one tablet of Viagra sold in Japan, the
official said.
"It could definitely have the same effect as Viagra," she said.
Each 20-milliliter bottle was priced at 3,000 yen ($25.70),
compared with 1,100 to 1,300 yen per tablet for Viagra. The
official said the drink contravened Japanese drug laws.
The firm that imported the drink said it was made from
squeezed Chinese fruits resembling grapes, and it was
unaware of the chemical, Kyodo news agency reported.
An estimated 9.8 million men in Japan suffer from erectile
dysfunction.