Counterfeit Cialis warning

Health warning issued under Section 98 of the Medicines Act 1981.

The Director-General of Health, Stephen McKernan, is warning the New Zealand public about four products that have been illegally promoted in Singapore for the treatment of erectile dysfunction but have been found to contain dangerous levels of a prescription medicine used to treat diabetes.

The products are believed to have caused one death, up to 30 serious adverse reactions and 59 other possible adverse reactions in Singapore.

Medsafe was alerted to the products by the Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA). The products are: Power 1 Walnut, Santi Bovine Penis Erecting Capsule, Zhong Hua Niu Bian and a product branded as Cialis but found to be a counterfeit of the genuine product. All four products contain glibenclamide, a prescription medicine used to treat diabetes as well as prescription medicines used to treat erectile dysfunction.

The Medsafe Investigations and Enforcement Team and New Zealand Customs staff have identified a product destined for a New Zealand address that appears to be the counterfeit version of Cialis reported by the HSA. The product was being imported by an individual and is believed to have been purchased through the internet. Samples are being tested by ESR.

Stephen McKernan warns that there is a possibility that these medicines may become available to the New Zealand public as a result of people importing them for personal use . Not all such imports may be able to be detected by border surveillance.

Consumers can identify the products that are believed to pose a risk of harm from the photographs available at:

Photographs of the counterfeit Cialis detected at the New Zealand border: http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/hot/alerts/CounterfeitMedicine/Photos.asp

Photographs of the products detected in Singapore: http://www.hsa.gov.sg/publish/etc/medialib/hsa_...

Stephen McKernan warns that these four products should not be taken nor distributed to others. If anyone has taken one of these products, medical advice should be sought as soon as possible.

Glibenclamide acts by lowering blood sugar levels and its use by consumers who do not have diabetes can produce serious side effects including coma and possible death.

"It's important to note that there are no safety concerns with genuine Cialis products that are currently available on a prescription and obtained from a New Zealand pharmacy," said Stephen McKernan, Director-General of Health.

The product sponsor, Eli Lilly, is concerned about this counterfeiting development and is working with New Zealand and international authorities to investigate the matter.

Stephen McKernan said "New Zealanders need to be confident the prescription medicines they take are genuine and true to label. The only way to do this is to obtain them from a New Zealand pharmacy, with a prescription written by a New Zealand-registered practitioner or authorised prescriber."