Criminals exploit ‘stigma and embarrassment’ to sell fake erectile dysfunction drugs
Men have been warned against buying illegal erectile dysfunction pills online after nearly 20m pills – enough to fill two doubledecker buses – were seized in the last five years.The “stigma and embarrassment” of erectile dysfunction is being “exploited by criminals”, according to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).Between 2021 and 2025, the MHRA’s criminal enforcement unit, working closely with Border Force to intercept shipments, seized about 19.5m doses of erectile dysfunction medicines, equivalent to a single dose for three in every four adult men in the UK.Many of the pills seized contained no active ingredient, the wrong dose, hidden drugs or toxic ingredients, the MHRA said.
Erectile dysfunction medicines remain one of the most frequently seized illegally traded medicines in the UK, with yearly seizures more than doubling since 2022.“Stigma and embarrassment are being exploited by criminals selling fake medicines that can seriously harm your health,” said Andy Morling, the head of the MHRA’s criminal enforcement unit.“These seizures show the sheer scale of the illegal market for erectile dysfunction medicines in the UK – and the risks people are taking without realising.”Alongside major seizures, the MHRA’s criminal enforcement unit said it had stepped up action against online sellers.Working with internet service providers, the regulator said it disrupted more than 1,500 websites and social media accounts illegally selling medical products to the public in 2025 and removed more than 1,200 social media posts.
“Any medicine not authorised for sale in the UK can be unsafe or ineffective and there is no way of knowing what is in them or the negative health effects they can have,” Morling said.“These pills may look genuine but many are potentially dangerous.“I’m incredibly pleased we’ve taken almost 20m doses of unauthorised erectile dysfunction medicines off the streets, including 4.4m last year alone, in what was a record-breaking year of total seizures for the MHRA.Each and every one of those products was potentially dangerous to the public.
”Erectile dysfunction is a very common condition, affecting around half of men aged 40 to 70.Research suggests two in five men would avoid seeking medical advice, with some turning to unregulated online sellers.Prof Victoria Tzortziou Brown, the chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “We would strongly advise against patients buying any prescription medication, including treatments for erectile dysfunction, from unregulated online sources.Ultimately, they do not know what they are buying – or how it may interact with any other medication they are taking – and this can be dangerous.”Unlicensed erectile dysfunction medicines can be especially dangerous for people with heart disease or high blood pressure, or those taking other medications, and they can raise the risk of heart attack, stroke and dangerously low blood pressure.
Tzortziou Brown said GPs were trained to have sensitive and confidential conversations about the subject – and did so frequently.“Erectile dysfunction can sometimes be an early warning sign of other underlying health issues, including heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure, so in trying to address it without seeking medical advice, people risk missing these,” she said.The MHRA advises avoiding buying medicines from social media or unknown websites and to visit the #FakeMeds website for information on how to obtain medicines safely online.It is also possible to check whether online pharmacies based in Great Britain are registered on the General Pharmaceutical Council’s (GPhC) website.The advice is to speak to a GP or pharmacist about safe and effective treatment options.
History hangs heavy over Calcutta Cup but England’s young side can turn tartan tide
In one of sport’s weirder coincidences, England are about to play must-win games against Scotland in both rugby and cricket on the same day. The forecast 3C temperatures for the Calcutta Cup encounter may be cooler than in Kolkata – appropriately the venue for the T20 World Cup group fixture – but a white-hot contest inside a chilly Murrayfield can be absolutely guaranteed.Because this particular collision, the 144th since the sides first met at Raeburn Place in 1871, looks set to shape the Six Nations prospects of all involved. To say Scotland are under additional pressure following their defeat by Italy in round one is to state the obvious. And England, too, will take the field knowing the time has come to demonstrate whether or not they are the real deal
From vertigo to Van Gogh: 10 things you may have missed at the Winter Olympics
Benoît Richaud is working on the ice with 13 countries, with uniform changes to match, and Korean skiers are having nightmares on waxDomen Prevc set a men’s ski jump world record of 254.5m on the Planica flying hill in Slovenia last March, known for its steepness and long jumps. Germany’s Philipp Raimund sat it out – he suffers from vertigo. “From time to time, I have the issue that my body is reacting without me controlling it,” he said. “It’s like I am just observing myself while something has a tight grip on me
Patriots’ Stefon Diggs pleads not guilty to assault, strangulation charges
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs on Friday pleaded not guilty to felony strangulation and other criminal charges stemming from an alleged dispute with his personal chef.The arraignment at Dedham District Court in Massachusetts was postponed until after Super Bowl LX so Diggs could play in the NFL championship game. At the arraignment, Diggs was scheduled to next appear for a pretrial hearing on 1 April.According to court records, the chef told Dedham officers she and Diggs argued about money he owed her for her work. During the 2 December encounter at his home, she said, he “smacked her across the face” and then “tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck”, leaving her feeling short of breath
Winter Olympics thrills, FA Cup magic and the Six Nations – follow with us
Emillia Hawkins kickstarts the weekend’s football programme with our unmissable rolling blog that rises early to provide all the breaking news from around the grounds as the FA Cup hoves into view. Expect followup from Friday’s two ties – Hull v Chelsea and Wrexham v Ipswich – plus news and buildup to Saturday’s eight fourth-round matches, bookended with West Ham’s lunchtime trip to Burton and Liverpool hosting Brighton at 8pm. There are five Championship matches and a full programme in Leagues One and Two. In Europe, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are in action, while in Serie A Inter meet Juventus in the evening’s derby d’Italia. Why not join the conversation by sending your thoughts to matchday
Skating body defends Olympic judging after French duo’s ice dance gold
The International Skating Union (ISU) has defended the integrity of Olympic ice dance judging after a single judge’s scoring gap became central to the outcome of the gold medal contest, insisting variations across panels are expected and that safeguards exist to prevent bias from determining results.In a statement released on Friday, the governing body rejected suggestions that the judging system failed during the competition, in which France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron narrowly defeated Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates in one of the closest and most disputed finishes of the Milano Cortina Games.“It is normal for there to be a range of scores given by different judges in any panel and a number of mechanisms are used to mitigate these variations,” an ISU spokesperson said. “The ISU has full confidence in the scores given and remains completely committed to fairness.”Under the ISU judging system, the highest and lowest scores for each element and programme component are automatically discarded before the remaining marks are averaged – a process known as a trimmed mean – which is designed to reduce the influence of outlier judging
Ukrainian athlete’s appeal for Winter Olympics reinstatement dismissed by Cas
The Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych has lost his appeal to compete at the Winter Olympics after the court of arbitration for sport ruled that the International Olympic Committee guidelines banning his “helmet of memory” were fair and proportionate.Heraskevych had gone to Cas after being dramatically removed from the men’s competition on Thursday only 45 minutes before it was due to start because of his helmet, which depicts 24 athletes and children killed by Russia.Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.In the Guardian app, tap the Profile settings button at the top right, then select Notifications
Penalty notice: Euro Car Parks fined £473,000 for ignoring regulator
US inflation falls to 2.4% in January after Trump’s tariffs led to price fluctuations
How to deal with the “Claude crash”: Relx should keep buying back shares, then buy more | Nils Pratley
Share values of property services firms tumble over fears of AI disruption
Winter Olympics: Ilia Malinin misses podium in figure skating shock; Shaidorov takes gold – as it happened
Matt Weston slides to skeleton gold as Team GB finally win medal at Winter Olympics