Kerala sees red over herbal 'Viagra'

Author: 
Ashraf Padanna | Arab News
Publication Date: 
Tue, 2010-06-29 02:04

The manufacture’s of the “drug” has been marketing the product in India and abroad offering “a complete solution for the sexual problems” giving “more power, time and pleasure”. Authorities say this brings a bad name for the traditional Indian system of medicine abroad.
Directorate of Drug Controls filed two cases with the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court at Moovattupuzha against Kunnath Pharmaceuticals that manufactures and markets for license violations and advertising “aphrodisiac” drug “100 percent safe and herbal good for men and women”.
“This purported herbal remedy has been bringing a lot of bad name for Ayurveda. Foreigners who tried this formulation and find it fake blame our system Ayurveda, not the product,” said Dr. PY John, the deputy drug controller who led the investigations.
The company is accused of violating provisions under the Drugs & Cosmetics Act and Rules for the past several years. The cases are also filed under Spurious Drugs Act and Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1955.
The investigators confiscated truckloads of the “herbal aphrodisiac” from its depot in Moovattupizha in October last year saying it got approval for production of drugs using the seed of ‘Nilappana’ (Curculigo orchioides) but the company made the drug with the extracts of safed musli.
“The company has since acquired a fresh license for the safed musli formulation but it has not undergone any clinical trial. Tens of thousands of unsuspecting people continue to fall victim to the quake’s advertisements,” said Dr. John.
The company’s online store sells a 30-capsule pack for $26 and $100 for 180 capsules which “will show you the healthy way to heavenly moments”. “This is a unique formulation of ingredients consisting of the highest quality extracts from the world’s best exotic herbs,” it reads.
The company has recently roped in the brawny Bollywood star Jackie Shroff as its brand ambassador and started aggressively marketing the product at the national level through advertisements on television channels, Internet and in newspapers “to help increase libido and sexual desire”.
A new advertisement that appeared in newspapers in Kerala Monday claims it has more than five million customers using Musli Power X-tra globally and “some international companies and allopathic giants” were spreading rumors against it.
“We had warned the company against advertising the product as aphrodisiac directly or indirectly with any other word or phrase to attract people. But it continued to give extensive publicity for the product as potency drug,” said Dr. John.
Inspectors seized products worth over Rs2.7mn during a raid on its warehouse last year and produced its samples in the court saying they were getting several complaints against the company, mostly about mixing up of allopathic ingredients in the medicine.
Founded by farmer-turned-entrepreneur Kunnath C. Abraham five years back, It “guarantees” increased volume of ejaculation and semen count, faster recovery for second orgasm, control against premature ejaculation, general wellbeing and vitality. But the experts refuse to endorse it.
Abraham produces some twenty million pills a month and sells across India. Priced between Rs 25 and Rs 35 a capsule in India, the drug is available in more than 4,000 medical stores all over India and his turnover crossed Rs500mn last year.
His success has prompted many others to go to town with drugs offering remedies to weak libidos and impotency. Herbal formulations that stick to 85 ancient ayurvedic texts are exempted from conducting any clinical trials before entering the market in India. But the authorities say the safed musli which forms the main ingredient of Abraham’s drug, does not find mention in any of these texts.

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