Red flag over ‘Herbal Viagra’

The National Drug Authority (NDA), has raised a red flag over sexual-arousing herbal medicine manufactured by a Kampala-based company Eloipharm (U) Ltd.

In an interview, Mr Abiaz Rwamwiri, the spokesperson of the authority, accused the maker of the medicine of rushing the product to the market and sharing information about it before approval. Mr Abiaz said they rejected the initial name of the product and the list of what the product can do when the maker presented it before the authority.

He said the rejected information is, however, still circulating on social media.“The main problem has been sneaking the product to the market before it is approved and after the regulation it confuses the public,” Mr Rwamwiri said.

He added: “The maker also made alarming claims that the product can solve erectile dysfunction and increase water in women –these claims are far-fetched. So we changed that the product helps to improve male and female vitality.

”In the NDA register local traditional herbal human register as of May 2023, the herb was approved by the authority under the product name “Elo-Enjo” instead of “Elo-Enjoy” which the maker had proposed. The maker of the product, Dr Stephen Lutoti, yesterday told Monitor that NDA changed the product’s name.“The issue of the product name is trivial. I would be interested if there were concerns around ingredients and safety of the product,” Dr Lutoti said.

Mr Rwamwiri said that even for approved products, advertising is regulated by the authority and the manufacturer should get prior clearance.

However, Dr Lutoti said they want to inform clients about what the product does as it is with other synthetic drugs.

By Tonny Abet

https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/nda-raises-red-flag-over-herbal-viagra–4254252