Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned the public against consuming “Gomax Coffee,” a product advertised as treating erectile dysfunction. The FDA said consuming the coffee risks blindness and heart failure.
Today, the FDA reported the results of their product testing on “Gomax Coffee” – serial number 122046610023 – produced by PY Intergroup Col, Ltd., in Nonthaburi province and distributed by Nice Good Deal company in Bangkok.
Gomax Coffee is sold in boxes containing ten 16-gram sachets at Pruksa Ville in Bangkok and is also sold through the online platform “rtk007.”
The FDA found that the coffee contains Sildenafil, a drug often sold under the name of Viagra, which is used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension.
Sildenafil is a controlled substance in Thailand that is considered an unsuitable ingredient in food and drink products. Selling a food/drink product containing Viagra is punishable by up to two years or a fine of no more than 20,000 baht in Thailand.
The drug is controlled because it works by dilating blood vessels which can sometimes cause damage to the optic nerve system and even blindness if misused. The drug can also cause severe headaches, high blood pressure, and irregular heartbeat which can lead to sudden death in some cases.
Anyone with liver disease, kidney problems, hypotension, heart failure, or unstable heartbeats should be extra cautious when it comes to Viagra, said the FDA.
The FDA said they are “considering” pressing charges against Gomax Coffee’s producers.
On Saturday, the FDA recalled a herbal medicine in Thailand after it was found to contain Tadalafil, another drug used to treat erectile dysfunction.