The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is alerting members of the public not to purchase or consume ‘Prime Kopi Pejuang 3 in 1’ that was marketed online as a natural product containing “herbal ingredients of high quality” that enhances men’s sexual health. After receiving feedback on two cases of adverse effects seen in consumers, HSA proceeded to test the coffee product and found that contrary to the advertisement claims, it is not natural or herbal and contains high concentration of an undeclared synthetic potent medicinal ingredient, tadalafil.
One consumer was admitted to the hospital emergency department after he experienced adverse effects such as body aches, chills, migraine, tightness around the jawline. Another consumer experienced priapism (prolonged erection) of about 4 hours long after taking the product. Priapism is a serious condition and can lead to penile tissue damage and permanent loss of potency if not treated immediately.
Consumers who consume the product according to the labelled instructions for use (one sachet daily) could be overdosing on more than 10 times the usual prescribed dose of tadalafil. Tadalafil is a prescription medicine used to treat erectile dysfunction that should only be given under medical supervision. Inappropriate use of tadalafil is dangerous and can increase the risk of serious adverse effects, including heart attacks, stroke, palpitations, irregular heart rate and priapism. Tadalafil can also pose serious health risks to certain individuals, including those with heart-related problems. It can cause potentially life-threatening low blood pressure in those who are on heart medications, especially those containing nitrates.
‘Prime Kopi Pejuang 3 in 1’ was sold on local e-commerce (Shopee, Lazada, Qoo10 and Carousell) and a social media platform (Facebook). HSA has worked with the platform administrators to remove the affected listings and has issued warnings to the sellers.