‘Fake’ herbal medicines go off shelves

Four herbal medicines have been ordered to be withdrawn from the market by the Ministry of Health (MoH), represented by the Directorate-General of Pharmaceutical Affairs and Drug Control (DGPADC). These drugs are: Shark Extract Tablets, Vimax Capsules, Kamagra Oral Jelly and Dragon’s Delay Spray. Dr Mohammed bin Hamdan al Rubai, DGPADC Director-General, said these products contain substances that could cause cardiac arrest, leading to even death. “These herbal products entered the Sultanate without approval from the department concerned. None of these products were registered with the ministry, and they are not allowed to be sold in the market,” he said. Dr Al Rubai said the laboratory tests have proved these products contain chemicals that have not been mentioned in the leaflets accompanying them. This, he said, is considered a “commercial fraud” since manufacturers have clearly mentioned that the medicines are “natural herbal products”. In addition, the products contain sildenafil, an “active ingredient in Viagra, which is used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction”. Dr Al Rubai said this substance causes adverse and severe side effects, especially among heart patients.