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Fake Viagra brings convenience store crackdown

 
The U.S Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about tainted male enhancement products that could pose health risks. They’re typically sold at convenience stores or gas stations.
The U.S Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about tainted male enhancement products that could pose health risks. They’re typically sold at convenience stores or gas stations.
Published Jan. 19, 2017

At the Beach Food Mart, two customers recently asked the man at the cash register:

Got any Hard Times?

The clerk reached under the counter and opened a cigar box containing pills. He handed two capsules to the men, who were actually undercover agents investigating the Madeira Beach convenience store, which was suspected of selling illegal sexual enhancement products.

Eight months later, store owner Chao Ming Wang was arrested on felony charges of possession of drugs without a prescription to sell and dispensing prescription drugs without a license.

His store is among several that the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco is investigating as the agency cracks down on businesses that sell tainted male enhancement pills. Agents have made arrests in Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough, and Hernando counties. In a separate, federal case a year ago, a Bradenton man admitted making $1.1 million while smuggling thousands of knockoff versions of the erectile dysfunction drugs from China.

With names like "King of Romance" and "Herb Viagra," the labels of these products claim they're made of natural ingredients. Sold at some convenience stores or gas stations, a customer can buy a few capsules or an entire package, which could cost more than $25.

The problem with these pills, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: They actually contain active pharmaceutical ingredients found in approved drugs such as Viagra and Cialis that treat erectile dysfunction. The labels typically don't disclose the real ingredients.

They could pose health risks to men already taking medication for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol or heart disease because those prescriptions may interact with the chemicals found in the products, according to the FDA.

The side effects could range from lower blood pressure to a stroke, said Dr. Christopher Asandra, chief medical officer of the NuMale Medical Center, a men's wellness provider with several offices across the country, including in Tampa. Some patients have also experienced headaches or heart palpitations, or even passed out, he added.

"They weren't even that effective," Asandra said of the products. "We don't know what else is in these supplements. To me, it just seems you're almost playing Russian roulette and opening Pandora's box when you're taking these."

In Pinellas County alone, at least three convenience stores were raided in December. Search warrants obtained by the Tampa Bay Times provide a glimpse into how ABT agents build their cases.

During an inspection in April at Largo's First Choice Food & Deli, agents found several brands of male enhancement products and issued a warning to store owner Fady Hanna. A few weeks later, the agents returned, this time undercover, and spotted the packages above the cash register.

One of the agents asked the clerk which pill "worked the best." They bought two capsules of V/A MAX for $19.24. Tests later confirmed they contained pharmaceutical chemicals.

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The agents returned three more times to make purchases. On Dec. 21, they searched the store on Starkey Road and confiscated hundreds of pills. Hanna, the store owner, was arrested on a felony charge of sale of a prescription without a license.

Reached by phone recently, Hanna said convenience stores have been selling the male enhancement pills for years and never encountered any problems. Instead of going after individual businesses, he added, "all they have to do is go after two or three vendors and distributors and none of this would even exist."

"We're not selling drugs. We're selling items that are sold by distributors," he said. "They're simply coming after the wrong people."

When asked about the Florida Division's efforts in investigating distributors, a spokeswoman said the agency "works closely" with the FDA on statewide cases.

The pills are usually concocted overseas, according to the FDA.

"There are no manufacturing practices in place," said FDA spokeswoman Lyndsay Meyer. "We're talking about people who are making these products in the basement of somebody's house."

When they're sent to the United States, the shipments are usually labeled as other merchandise, like handbags or tea, so that they fly under the radar of FDA inspectors.

The FDA has also released dozens of public notifications to warn consumers of tainted pills. But cracking down on the products can create challenges. Manufacturers usually change the name of a product once the FDA catches on it contains pharmaceutical drugs.

"And then really we're back to square one," she said. "The sellers are very nimble. They can change very frequently."

But consumers can watch for red flags.

If the label says the pills will offer immediate results or compares the product to an approved drug, then, Meyer said, it's "too good to be true."

Contact Laura C. Morel at lmorel@tampabay.com. Follow @lauracmorel.