'All-natural' sex pill contains Viagra chemical—FDA

Posted November 06, 2009 07:14:00

Agence France-Presse

WASHINGTON – The US food and drug safety watchdog warned Thursday that an over-the-counter men's sex aid, labeled as all-natural, contains a chemical similar to the active ingredient in Viagra and could be dangerous.

"'Stiff Nights', a product marketed as a dietary supplement for sexual enhancement, contains an ingredient that can dangerously lower blood pressure and is illegal," the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a statement.

The FDA began probing Stiff Nights after receiving a customer complaint about the product. The agency did not reveal the nature of the complaint.

The investigation found that rather than being all-natural, Stiff Nights contains sulfoaildenafil, a chemical similar to the ingredient in Viagra.

"Because this product is labeled as an all-natural dietary supplement, consumers may assume it is harmless and poses no health risk," said Deborah Autor, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Office of Compliance.

"In fact, this product is illegally marketed and can cause serious complications," she said.

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