Health authorities in Sierra Leone and Ghana have issued cautionary alerts that the fitness of the herbal mixture, Coco Samba, manufactured by the Bullion Go-neat Global Ltd, Ogun State, Nigeria cannot be guaranteed in terms of safety and quality.

In a press release dated February 20, the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone agreed with the Food and Drug Authority of Ghana that the mixture contains dangerous levels of Sildenafil Citrate, confirming previous suspicions on the negative side effects of consuming the mixture which includes complicated health issues and damage to the penis.

“…the said product confirmed that each bottle of Coco Samba contains heavy dose (193 mg) of Sildenafil Citrate as an adulterant as compared to the usual prescribed dose of 50-100 mg,” the release signed by the registrar of the board, James Komeh, read.

“Please be aware that overdose of Sildenafil Citrate has the tendency to cause serious side effects like significant drop in blood pressure which may be life-threatening, visual disturbances, headache, dizziness, chest pain, painful and prolonged erection which may cause permanent damage to the penis,” it added.

The suspicions were based on preliminary tests run in Sierra Leone laboratories spurring the authorities to issue a warning pending the confirmatory tests.

Sildenafil Citrate is typically used to treat erectile dysfunction but is often abused by individuals seeking to boost their sexual prowess without medical supervision or prescription.

The statement also added that analyses were conducted on other products including Olekoko Akson Bitters, Oga Abeg and Good Time Natural Herbal Formula, mixtures which were all revealed to contain Sildenafil Citrate of different measures.

The pharmacy board further tasked the public “to stop the consumption of these harmful products and report any individual or institution found marketing these products.’’

“In addition, please report any side effects relating to these products or any other product to the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone,” it said.

Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has also issued a public alert on the product suspected to have circulated in local liquor shops and rural retail sellers.

The agency said a 100ml bottle of the herbal mixture contains more than the approved daily dose of sildenafil.

“The product was seized by German customs and analysed by the German Official Medicines Control Laboratory. The analysis report showed the product contained undeclared amounts of sildenafil (150mg), which is above the maximum daily dose for sildenafil,” the agency’s February 20 statement read.