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SINCE 2008, 11 people have died here from taking illegal sex pills.
In that year alone, there were 61 cases and 148 suspected cases of people falling sick from consuming sex pills.
Last year, 19 people were prosecuted for selling sex pills. The year before, the figure was 18.
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) gave a profile of sex pill abusers. The youngest was 18 and the oldest 97.
Almost a quarter of those caught abusing sex pills were between 60 and 70 years old.
Some thought the pills were safe due to their herbal origins, or their friends had vouched there were no side effects after prolonged use.
Another fallacy was believing the pills would enable them to perform better during sex.
But you can never be sure what you’re buying in the back lanes. The best thing to do is to consult a doctor, said HSA.
 It also said that combining sex pills with controlled drugs like ketamine or Ecstasy is “equally dangerous (and) can be life-threatening”.
Said an HSA spokesman: “Health products bought illegally from dubious sources, like street peddlers or websites, could potentially be dangerous as they could have been adulterated with unknown or unlabelled substances.
“Of the 11 persons who died after taking the illegal sex pills, the majority experienced extremely low blood glucose level, leading to coma, brain damage and death.”
This was mainly because of the high dose of glibenclamide, a drug to reduce blood glucose levels for diabetics.
In Mr Francis Wee’s and Mr Eric Sin’s cases, the coroner noted that traces of glibenclamide was found in their blood.
Instead of treating a medical condition, these illegal products can worsen a medical condition, said a report on HSA’s website.
These illegal pills are often produced under poor and unhygienic
conditions with little or no quality control.
Sometimes ingredients which have not been approved for safe use in humans or the wrong active ingredients are used in the pills.
In 2007, The Straits Times reported that a Singaporean had been arrested on suspicion of being the mastermind of a syndicate running a drug-processing laboratory in Johor.
Drugs like ketamine, Ice, Erimin 5 and Viagra were being manufactured using off-the-shelf tools and equipment like hand-held grinders.
The pills were made up of different powders, including Johnson’s baby powder.
To make the pills colourful, they were mixed with water colours instead of food dyes.
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