SINGAPORE - A coffee product known as “Kopi Penumbuk” has been found to contain a potent prescription medicine used to treat erectile dysfunction, said the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), as it warned people not to buy or consume the beverage.
The agency said on March 10 that the made-in-Malaysia item, which contains Tadalafil, had been marketed on local e-commerce platforms as a coffee product with claims of male sexual enhancement effects.
“SFA has worked with various online e-commerce platforms to remove listings of the product and issued warnings to the respective sellers to refrain from selling the product with immediate effect,” it said in a statement.
Tadalafil is a prescription medicine used to treat erectile dysfunction and should only be given under medical supervision.
Inappropriate use of tadalafil is dangerous and can increase the risk of serious adverse effects, including heart attack, stroke, headache, migraine, irregular heart rate and priapism - or painful and exceedingly long erections - said the SFA.
The agency said Tadalafil can also pose serious risks to certain individuals, including those with heart-related problems.
It added Tadalafil can cause potentially life-threatening low blood pressure in those who are on heart medications, especially those containing nitrates.
Those who have consumed the coffee product and have concerns about their health should seek medical attention, said SFA.
“Consumers should also exercise caution and be mindful of the risks associated with consuming food bought from unknown or unverified sources and are advised to seek more information before making any purchase,” it added.
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