FDA cautions against 2 dietary supplements

FDA has issued warnings regarding 2 products, Man Up Now and Vigor-25, both marketed as natural dietary supplements to enhance male sexual performance.

The agency is advising consumers to avoid using Man Up Now capsules, because the product contains a variation of an active drug ingredient found in Viagra (Pfizer) that can dangerously lower blood pressure.

Man Up Now claims to be “herbal” and “all natural,” but an FDA analysis determined that the product contains sulfoaildenafil, a chemical similar to sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra. Like sildenafil, sulfoaildenafil may interact with prescription drugs such as nitrates, including nitroglycerin, and cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure, an FDA spokeswoman tells Formularly.

Man Up Now, distributed by Synergy Distribution LLC, is sold on Internet sites, online marketplaces, and in some retail outlets.

FDA is also cautioning consumers about Vigor-25, which the agency says does contain sildenafil. The agency is investigating the reported death of a 26-year-old man, possibly associated with the use of Vigor-25.

Vigor-25, distributed by Piston Corp., is sold on Internet sites and possibly in some retail outlets.

“[Vigor-25] is dangerous, because it claims to contain only natural ingredients when it actually contains a prescription drug ingredient,” says Deborah M. Autor, director of the Office of Compliance in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.