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Second man dies from illegal sex drug

Other News Materials 26 April 2008 05:51 (UTC +04:00)

A second man has died after taking sexual enhancement pills laced with high amounts of a drug intended for diabetics, news reports said on Saturday. ( dpa )

The 50-year-old Singaporean had been hospitalized in a coma after taking fake Cialis pills, one of four products found to have the drug glibenclamide at levels of up to five times the maximum therapeutic dosage, The Straits Times said.

The others were identified by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) as Power 1, Walnut, Santi Bovine Penis Erecting Capsule and Zhong Hua Niu Bian.

Five other men are seriously ill, the report said. One has been left brain-damaged after a stroke. Another remains unresponsive after emerging from a coma.

Two others are in comas, while another is suffering from brain damage.

While aware of the dangers, many patients continue taking the pills since they have not suffered any ill effects and believe they will not in the future, said Chan Cheng Leng, assistant director of the HSA's pharmacovigilance, communications and research division.

All illegal drugs are potentially dangerous since there is no quality control, she noted.

Since January, there have been 35 confirmed and 70 suspected cases of adverse drug reactions to illegal sexual enhancement drugs in men aged 21 to 97.

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