KUALA LUMPUR: Former national shuttler Ong Ewe Hock was fined RM1,300 by the magistrate's court here yesterday after he pleaded guilty to marketing two herbal products containing poison. Ong, 36, who is Maxonherns Sdn Bhd director admitted to have possessed the products for sale at No. 8 Tg 3/42, Off Jalan Kuching, at 12.15pm on Jan 8, 2007. The products contained "sildenafil" listed under the Poisons Act 1952. Magistrate Sazlinidayu Kamarul Baharin ordered Ong to pay RM800, in default four months' jail, with regard to one product and RM500, in default two months' jail, for the other. Ong who was unrepresented stopped the sale of the products since Jan 8, 2007. He paid the fine. -- Bernama Source NST http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/National/2461221/Article/index_html
In Malaysia, sildenafil is listed as a poison??? If so, how about vardenafil and tadalafil? A great many men won't find this news very, er, uplifting
It is not as simple as it appears. Sildenafil and the others are manufactured and controlled as drugs and are sold under prescription. To market herbal products containing the same ingredients is to bypass the vigorous checks and control that drugs are subject to. Now, we wouldn't want everyone selling such herbal or nutritional products through say direct marketing companies like Amway and others, because this may end up in a tragedy should it end up with babies taking them. BTW, do you know that some top sportsmen are taking sildenafil to give them that extra mile. Oldhand, if you are into competitive singles play, you now have an extra weapon!
Where did all this 'herbal' argument suddenly spring from? My question was simply: Is sildenafil listed as a poison? Considering that it is indeed a well-known drug, it's all the more strange. As for 'babies taking them', you shouldn't be worrying too much. Sildenafil has been (controversially) used to treat Neonatal Pulmonary Hypertension. (One such incident generated a lot of debate in 2002 - that doctor is now based in Washington )
For those who are wondering what this is all about: sildenafil is Viagra, vardenafil is Levitra and tadalafil is Cialis. Um, if you must ask what these are, you don't need them
Oldhand, sildenafil is a schedule poison in almost every country on the planet. A shedule poison does not always mean it is a poison. There are many classes of schedule poisons. A schedule poison simply means it is under government control, unlike say a vegetable you can buy freely from the market. Poison schedules provide a means of classifying poisons to identify the degree of control to exercise over their availability to the public. Toxicity is not the only considerstion. The product's proposed use, its potential for abuse, its safety in use, and the need for it, are other factors. What Ong Ewe Hock should have done is to have applied to the Malaysian Drug Control Authority to have his herbal "viagra" tested, registered, and all would be well. Perhaps he realized his herbs never stood a chance. In the US any overdose of sildenafil must be reported to the Poison Control Center.
i remember foo kok keong's distinctive thick gold chain around his neck, don't really remember the bracelets though.
