How authentic is the Viagra we order online? Nowadays, buying drugs from the Internet seems quite attractive, especially when it comes to drugs that improve erectile function. It is necessary for consumers to know whether the drugs they are buying are authentic or not.
The results of a study to investigate Viagra-branded formulations sold over the Internet were recently published (Campbell, 2012).
The researchers included in the study 22 websites claiming to sell genuine Viagra. They then took a sample of the relevant formulations and analyzed them to check their chemical composition.
The results showed that 77% of the formulations were fake, 18% were genuine, and 5% were illegal generics. The fake Viagra contained only 30-50% of the amount of the medicinal substance included in the original drug, and also, none had the original Viagra formula. The illegal generics were 80% similar to the original Viagra. In addition, there was a huge variation in the cost of the formulation, with prices ranging from $3.28 to $33 per tablet.
According to the above study, the country from which the preparations were shipped was usually Hong Kong, the USA, and the UK, and less commonly Canada, India, and China. In addition, no website asked for a medical prescription for the shipment of the drugs.
Why do some men prefer to get their erectile dysfunction drugs online? Research data supports that the main motivation for buying drugs from the Internet is the embarrassment of talking to a doctor, the cost of seeing a doctor to get a prescription, and the higher cost of buying from a pharmacy compared to the Internet.
However, today we now know that there is a huge possibility that the erection drugs sold over the Internet are fake, do not contain a sufficient amount of medicinal substance, or have an unknown chemical composition.
References:
Campbell N, Clark JP, Stecher VJ et al. (2013) Adulteration of purported herbal and natural sexual performance enhancement dietary supplements with synthetic phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors. J Sex Med 10:1842-1849.
Schnetzler G, Banks I, Kirby M et al. (2010) ED PHARMACOTHERAPY: Characteristics, Behaviors, and Attitudes of Men Bypassing the Healthcare System When Obtaining Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitors. J Sex Med 7:1237–1246.
