Finland considers investigation into pharma-containing libido supplements

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

- Last updated on GMT

Libido supplements busted in Finland

Related tags Pharmacology Food and drug administration

The Finnish food safety authority (ENVIRA) has recalled a libido-boosting dietary supplement after it discovered it contained an undeclared drug similar to Viagra.

The Apollo+ supplement was available in the erotica high street and online store ‘Hot Lips’ but was recalled after a customs investigation found it contained the drug dithio desmethyl-carbodenafil – an analog of sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra.

The product was picked up by routine customs tests - often conducted on products with pack information not in Finnish. 

ENVIRA senior officer Anna Mizrahi told us the authority had discussed the possibility of an investigation of its own into these kinds of erotic products and retailers, which tended to be subject to less controls.

apollo_2

While nothing had been decided, she said this could be combined with other areas like the use of unauthorised additives, which had been seen with such products in the past.

Last year the Swedish Medical Products Agency (MPA) tested 13 ‘sexual potency’ food supplements on sale in sex shops in Sweden. Of these 13 products, nine were found to contain undeclared drugs including sildenafil and dithio desmethyl-carbodenafil.

A separate case in the UK saw a man jailed last summer for 16 weeks for selling so called ‘herbal viagra' pills​, which actually contained dangerously high levels of pharmaceuticals tadalafil and sibutramine. 

Sildenafil can cause serious cardiac side effects. The authority urged consumers who suspected such side effects after taking the product to contact a physician immediately.

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