At the request of the US Food and Drug Administration, US Marshals seized nearly $74,000 worth of Xiadafil VIP tablets, Lots 6K029 and 6K209-SEI, distributed by SEI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. of Miami, Florida.
Although marketed as a dietary supplement to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) and for sexual enhancement, these lots represent an illegally marketed drug containing an undeclared ingredient, a US FDA press release said.
Today's action follows a formal FDA request to SEI Pharmaceuticals (SEI) on May 27, 2008, to recall the lots of Xiadafil VIP tablets. The products were given away at trade shows and sold in eight tablet bottles (Lot # 6K029) and blister cards of two tablets (Lot # 6K029-SEI) bearing an expiration date of September 2009 (09/09). The company, however, refused to recall these products, making the seizure action necessary to prevent additional, illegal Xiadafil VIP products from entering the marketplace.
The FDA's chemical analysis of Xiadafil VIP tablets Lots # 6K029/6K029-SEI found that the product contains hydroxyhomosildenafil, which is chemically similar to sildenafil. Sildenafil is the active ingredient in Viagra, an FDA-approved prescription drug for ED. The FDA has not approved Xiadafil VIP for ED or any other drug use, and the safety and effectiveness of this product is unknown. Although offered for sale as dietary supplements, the seized articles are new drugs that may not be introduced into interstate commerce without an approved new drug application filed with FDA.
"Today's seizure action shows that FDA will take enforcement action to protect the public from dietary supplements that contain prescription drug ingredients that are potentially harmful to consumers," said Margaret O'K Glavin, associate commissioner of the FDA's Office of Regulatory Affairs. "FDA will not tolerate a company's failure to take voluntary action to protect the public health after being given the opportunity by FDA to do so," she added.
On April 22, 2008, the FDA initiated an inspection at SEI Pharmaceuticals following its analysis of the Xiadafil VIP tablets. The company was advised of the FDA's findings and informed of the potential adverse health risks the product posed to unsuspecting consumers. The FDA also warned the company of possible legal actions, including seizure and/or injunction if corrective and preventive actions were not implemented. Although the company committed to halting distribution of the product and deactivated its Internet site, it refused to recall the product already in the market.
On May 13, 2008, Florida state officials issued a "stop sale" action at SEI's distribution facility to keep the illegal product out of the marketplace. This action required SEI to hold, intact, violative Xiadafil VIP tablets found at the facility.
ED is a common problem in men who have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease. Because they may have been advised against taking ED drugs, men with these conditions may seek alternative products like Xiadafil VIP tablets because they are marketed as "all natural" or as not containing the active ingredients in approved, prescribed ED drugs. Furthermore, because the manufacturing source of the active ingredients in many of these alternative products is unknown, consumers should also be aware that the safety, efficacy, and purity of these ingredients have not been verified by the FDA.
Consumers should discontinue the use of Xiadafil VIP tablets immediately and consult their health care professional if they have experienced adverse events that they believe may be related to the use of this product, the release added.