Seven Distributors and Sellers of Fake Viagra Caught... "Strengthening Investigation of Illegal Pharmaceuticals"

Seoul City Seizes 24,832 Counterfeit Drugs Worth 150 Million Won in 16 Categories
Fake Viagra Sales Reach 30 Million Won... Sildenafil Content Detected at Twice the Allowed Amount, Raising Side Effect Concerns

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government's Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit has booked seven operators who illegally distributed and sold counterfeit Viagra through online shopping malls and adult product stores.

According to Seoul City on the 26th, the amount of counterfeit Viagra sold so far is about 16,500 pills (550 bottles), with a market value of 30 million KRW. A total of 16 types and 24,832 counterfeit drugs were seized, with an estimated market value of 150 million KRW.

Seoul City has booked seven violators of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act who distributed and sold counterfeit erectile dysfunction drugs; four have been sent to the prosecution, and three are under investigation. Illegal distribution and sale of counterfeit Viagra and other counterfeit drugs are punishable under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act by imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million KRW.

Although erectile dysfunction drugs are prescription-only medicines that can only be purchased at pharmacies with a doctor's prescription, those who illegally distributed and sold them were caught selling counterfeit Viagra at relatively very low prices through communication sales such as the internet, which citizens can easily access, and adult product stores. In some adult product stores, so-called peddlers brought Chinese-made counterfeit erectile dysfunction drugs, which were purchased at 20,000 KRW per bottle (30 pills) and sold at 50,000 KRW, or sold individually at 2,000 to 4,000 KRW per pill. Genuine Viagra is sold at pharmacies for 13,000 to 15,000 KRW per pill with a doctor's prescription.

The delivery agent of counterfeit drugs, Mr. A (38), stored the drugs at his residence to avoid crackdowns and frequently changed the courier dispatch locations while selling. He showed meticulousness by receiving goods via quick delivery from suppliers, communicating through Telegram, and using burner phones and burner bank accounts. Among the sold counterfeit Viagra, some products contained sildenafil, the main ingredient of erectile dysfunction drugs, at more than twice the maximum allowed dosage. Sildenafil is a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension, with approved product dosages of 25mg, 50mg, and 100mg.

Park Byung-hyun, head of the Safety Investigation Unit of the Seoul Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit, said, "Counterfeit drugs illegally distributed have not been safety-verified and can cause serious side effects due to incorrect intake, threatening citizens' health. Therefore, prescription drugs must be purchased and taken at pharmacies after visiting medical institutions and obtaining a doctor's prescription." He added, "We will continue investigations to expand the investigation into the sales routes of counterfeit drugs easily exposed to citizens so that risks can be preemptively blocked from the manufacturing and import stages."