Deadly fake ‘viagra’ in Kenyan market biggest worry for poisons board
Kenyan authorities are grappling with the challenge of counterfeit lifestyle drugs circulating the in the market.
The counterfeits, which can be cheaply bought over the counter in chemists, pose a death threat or could lead to organ malfunction on consumers.
An official of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board on Wednesday said counterfeit lifestyle drugs enjoy the biggest circulation of counterfeits in Kenya.
The most notorious brands are those associated with sexual enhancement, namely Vega tablets and Enzoy Plus.
The board’s head of crime investigations and enforcement unit Dennis Otieno said they made their first seizure of counterfeit Vega tablets at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in 2015.
The tablets, valued at Sh4 million, had been packed in cartons to prevent detection.
“We arrested the suspects and took them to court where they faced charges of being in possession of falsified medicine,” he said.
In Mombasa, they seized 20 cartons of falsified Enzoy Plus at a Container Freight Station in Mombasa in 2015.
Both cargo originated from China.
“It is dangerous for people to consume falsified Viagra because it can cause death,” Mr Otieno warned.
