Sulfoaildenafil
Encyclopedia
Sulfoaildenafil is a synthetic chemical compound that is a structural analog of sildenafil
(Viagra). It was first reported in 2005, and it is not approved by any health regulation agency. Like sildenafil, sulfoaildenafil is a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor
.
Sulfoaildenafil has been found as an adulterant in a variety of supplements which are sold as "natural" or "herbal" sexual enhancement products. A range of designer
analogues of USA FDA-approved inhibitors of type-5 cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase
(PDE5), such as sildenafil and vardenafil
, have been detected in recent years as adulturants in over-the-counter herbal aphrodisiac products and dietary supplements, in an apparent attempt to circumvent both the legal restrictions on sale of erectile dysfunction drugs, which are prescription-only
medicines in most Western countries, and the patent
protection which prevents sale of these drugs by competitors except under license to their inventors. These compounds have been demonstrated to display PDE5 inhibitory activity in vitro and presumably have similar effects when consumed, but have undergone no formal testing in either humans or animals, and as such represent a significant health risk to consumers of these products due to their unknown safety profile. Some attempts have been made to ban these drugs as unlicensed medicines, but progress has been slow so far, as even in those jurisdictions which have laws targeting designer drugs, the laws are drafted to ban analogues of illegal drugs of abuse, rather than analogues of prescription medicines. However at least one court case has resulted in a product being taken off the market.
In December 2010, the United States Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) issued a warning to consumers about such products stating, "The FDA has found many products marketed as dietary supplements for sexual enhancement during the past several years that can be harmful because they contain active ingredients in FDA-approved drugs or variations of these ingredients."
Sildenafil
Sildenafil citrate, sold as Viagra, Revatio and under various other trade names, is a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension . It was originally developed by British scientists and then brought to market by the US-based pharmaceutical company Pfizer...
(Viagra). It was first reported in 2005, and it is not approved by any health regulation agency. Like sildenafil, sulfoaildenafil is a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor
PDE5 inhibitor
A phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, often shortened to PDE5 inhibitor, is a drug used to block the degradative action of phosphodiesterase type 5 on cyclic GMP in the smooth muscle cells lining the blood vessels supplying the corpus cavernosum of the penis...
.
Sulfoaildenafil has been found as an adulterant in a variety of supplements which are sold as "natural" or "herbal" sexual enhancement products. A range of designer
Designer drug
Designer drug is a term used to describe drugs that are created to get around existing drug laws, usually by preparing analogs or derivatives of existing drugs by modifying their chemical structure to varying degrees, or less commonly by finding drugs with entirely different chemical structures...
analogues of USA FDA-approved inhibitors of type-5 cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase
CGMP specific phosphodiesterase type 5
cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 is an enzyme from the phosphodiesterase class. It is found in various tissues, most prominently the corpus cavernosum and the retina....
(PDE5), such as sildenafil and vardenafil
Vardenafil
Vardenafil is a PDE5 inhibitor used for treating erectile dysfunction that is sold under the trade names Levitra and Staxyn.-History:...
, have been detected in recent years as adulturants in over-the-counter herbal aphrodisiac products and dietary supplements, in an apparent attempt to circumvent both the legal restrictions on sale of erectile dysfunction drugs, which are prescription-only
Prescription drug
A prescription medication is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a medical prescription before it can be obtained. The term is used to distinguish it from over-the-counter drugs which can be obtained without a prescription...
medicines in most Western countries, and the patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
protection which prevents sale of these drugs by competitors except under license to their inventors. These compounds have been demonstrated to display PDE5 inhibitory activity in vitro and presumably have similar effects when consumed, but have undergone no formal testing in either humans or animals, and as such represent a significant health risk to consumers of these products due to their unknown safety profile. Some attempts have been made to ban these drugs as unlicensed medicines, but progress has been slow so far, as even in those jurisdictions which have laws targeting designer drugs, the laws are drafted to ban analogues of illegal drugs of abuse, rather than analogues of prescription medicines. However at least one court case has resulted in a product being taken off the market.
In December 2010, the United States Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
(FDA) issued a warning to consumers about such products stating, "The FDA has found many products marketed as dietary supplements for sexual enhancement during the past several years that can be harmful because they contain active ingredients in FDA-approved drugs or variations of these ingredients."