Herbal pill illegally for sale on website

Herbal pills claiming to help erectile dysfunction were being illegally sold through website Malta Park and the Medicines Authority ordered the adverts to be removed after Times of Malta asked about their legality.

There were similar cases and the website removed the advert

The website displayed several adverts selling blue pills, described as “natural Viagra” and “better than Viagra”. Viagra is a branded prescription drug that helps men who have erectile dysfunction.

It came to the attention of this newspaper that pills, claiming to yield the same results, were being sold through the popular website.

Under Maltese law pills classified as medicinal products, including herbal products may only be sold by pharmacies, according to an authority spokesman.

“The website will be ordered to remove the advert. There were similar cases and the website removed the advert,” the spokesman said.

One of the adverts seen by Times of Malta offered “blue herbal pills like Viagra” at four for €10 and gave away one free pack with every two packs bought.

It said the product was 100 per cent herbal with “no known side effects” and that it worked in minutes – prolonging and enhancing pleasure.

Some adverts also listed the ingredients and the instructions informing users to take one pill with water and make sure they did not take more than one within 24 hours.

Another advert named the brand as Kamagra, saying it was chemically identical as Viagra “except for the price lol (laugh out loud)”. Viagra sells for more than €40 per pack of four pills.

The Kamagra listing pointed out side effects that “may include headache, runny nose and in rare cases some temporary vision changes” and said the drug was sold at €5 per pill, or €20 per sheet of four.

This contrasts sharply with another advert for the blue herbal pills which quotes a dozen for €20.