Dubai's Ministry of Health stops shipment of 1.75m fake Viagra tablets.

"The Ministry of Health seized 1.75 million fake Viagra pills at customs clearance in the Ghuwaifat checkpoint.

A company was trying to clear the fake drug to be exported.

The border authorities refused to let the shipment through and returned it to Ghuwaifat, where it was held after the Registration and Control Department at the Ministry of Health found out that the shipment of 86 boxes containing 1,750,000 Viagra tablets was not registered at the ministry.

Dr Ameen Bin Hussain Al Amiri, executive director for Medical Practices and Licensing at the ministry, said the seized drugs were prohibited and not legally registered.

He said the company obtained a certificate of origin from a chamber of commerce and industry in the UAE to export the shipment, without referring to the Ministry of Health to ensure that the drug is registered and safe for use.

The ministry informed Abu Dhabi Police to take official procedures and hold the shipment and any other amounts that may be available at the company's warehouses in a northern emirate.

Concerned bodies were informed to find out how the shipment entered the country, and chambers of commerce were asked to stop issuing certificates of origin for drugs before obtaining the ministry's approval."