Hmm, now why didn't I think of this? The makers of an herbal supplement called Vigor-25, marketed as an all-natural alternative to Viagra, claimed their product contained a "rare combination of natural ingredients.... such as rhodiola rhizome, chinese yam, cnidium fruit or cassia." Turns out, however, the secret sauce in their treatment for erectile dysfunction was actually... Viagra! Or more specifically, "the generic version of the chemical in Viagra -- sildenafil citrate -- or similar chemicals which had been illegally smuggled in from China."
Mmm... similar chemicals which had been illegally smuggled in from China...
Needless to say, that's not particularly safe:
In court documents, FDA criminal investigator Thomas Nasiatka said the agency was concerned that people who take common drugs containing nitrates to control diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease might be seriously harmed if they took Vigor-25 without being aware that it contains generic versions of Viagra and related chemicals.
"A consumer who uses Vigor-25 would not know that these undeclared ingredients may interact with prescription drugs that contain nitrates, such as nitroglycerin, and would lower blood pressure to dangerous levels," Nasiatka said in the court papers. There have been no reports so far of anyone harmed by taking Vigor-25, officials said.
When the manufacturers got caught, their initial response? Switching to "chemicals similar to those in another erectile dysfunction drug, Levitra." Rock! It's nice to know that this kind of Yankee ingenuity is... well, is getting busted by the FDA, frankly. We can't have Viagra getting snuck into our herbal remedies at a time when we can't even guarantee that the drugs we order off the intertubes won't have poison in them. It's just not right!
