CBP seizes sildenafil tablets worth more than $700,000

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Cincinnati have seized almost 24,000 pills of sildenafil citrate, the active ingredient in the prescription erectile dysfunction drug Viagra.

The pills were in blister packets indicating they had been manufactured in India, and all were headed to an apartment in Decatur, Georgia. The shipment had originated from an apartment residence in India.

The shipment was illegal, because prescription medications are restricted by the FDA and cannot be imported into the US without proper documentation and labelling. It is not yet known whether the blisters were falsified or genuine product being smuggled into the US.

The blisters bear the name Signaforce, and a Google search reveals examples of a sildenafil citrate product claimed to be made by Indian manufacturer Signature Pharmaceuticals. The company's website does not however list sildenafil among its marketed products.

"Protecting our citizens from inferior products with unknown ingredients is a priority for our officers and specialists," said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, director, field operations, at CBP's Chicago field office.