Zambia prohibits energy drink 'Viagra & # 39;

Zambian authorities banned an energy drink after a Ugandan man complained of a prolonged erection.

Natural Power High Energy SX natural drink, made in Zambia, is not marketed as a badual aid.

An investigation by Ugandan health authorities in December revealed that the drink contained sildenafil citrate – the active ingredient in Viagra.

Since then, the news of the side effects of the drink has boosted its popularity.

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Journalist Kennedy Gondwe of Lusaka said demand for soft drinks, sold in supermarkets and at street vendors across the country, had increased.

He says that despite the ban, the drink is still on sale in stores in the capital, Lusaka. The packaging on the drink clearly indicates that it "increases libido" and is an "aphrodisiac". He also claims to "revitalize the body and mind".

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Viagra is the brand name of sildenafil citrate, the drug used to treat erectile dysfunction. It is normally available only on prescription.

The beverage manufacturer, Revin Zambia, has not commented on the ban.

Last January, Vikas Kapoor, CEO of the company, told the BBC's Newsday program that, to his knowledge, the energy drink contained no medicine.

But the Zambian authorities are unequivocal about the test results, which were announced Wednesday.

"The results from Zimbabwe and South Africa correlate with those from the Food and Drug Laboratory that indicate a positive presence of sildenafil citrate," a Reuters quoted a Zambian authorities statement as saying.

The Pharmaceutical Company of Zambia stated that the information on "the unfitness" of the drink should have been processed earlier.

Its leader, Jerome Kanyika, told the BBC that the ban was "a welcome initiative but also embarrbading for us as a country because we had to rely on investigations by other countries."

He added that the drink should not be sold openly in supermarkets and other public places.

Mr. Kanyika stated that the manufacturers should have indicated the exact amounts of sildenafil citrate so that the drink would not be sold to children, women or even men who might not want to drink it because of its properties.

Power Natural High Energy SX is exported to other countries in the region, including Uganda, Malawi and Zimbabwe.