LUSAKA - Zambia banned an energy drink
on Wednesday after it was shown to have been adulterated with
the male sex booster Viagra, according to authorities in Ndola,
the city of manufacture.
The prohibition followed a complaint from Zambia's medicine
regulator in December suggesting that the Power Natural High
Energy Drink SX had been spiked with Viagra.
The manufacturer, Revin Zambia Ltd, could not immediately be
reached for comment on the ban.
The drink is also exported to African countries such as
Uganda, Malawi and Zimbabwe, the manufacturer said last year.
The Uganda National Drug Authority said in a letter dated
Dec. 28, 2018 that it made similar findings after a customer
complained of constant sweating and a nearly six-hour erection.
Zambia had ordered the manufacturer to withdraw the drink
after tests showed it contained Sildenafil Citrata whose brand
name is Viagra, a Ndola local authority statement said.
Sildenafil is an active ingredient in oral therapy in
erectile dysfunction in men and should only be available on
prescription, the statement said.
"Results from both Zimbabwe and South Africa correlated with
those obtained from the Foods and Drugs Laboratory that
indicated a positive presence of Sildenafil Citrate," it said.
Zambia has also suspended the production of the drink until
remedial measures are put in place to ensure that it is not
adulterated, the statement said.
In January, Malawi banned the drink following tests
conducted at its drug quality control laboratory after safety
concerns were raised in Zambia and Uganda.
Natural Power Energy Drink SX is very popular among Zambian
men and is sold in 500 ml plastic cans, mostly in supermarkets
and bars.