Suspicion of Counterfeit Batches of Levitra for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction

The Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices (HALMED) announced on Wednesday that they were informed by Bayer d.o.o. about a report of suspicion regarding counterfeit batches of Levitra 20 milligrams in tablets, which were discovered in an illegal distribution chain. Levitra is used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in adult men.

HALMED warns wholesalers and pharmacies to pay attention when receiving medications, and urges patients to obtain medications only from verified and authorized places. The Zagreb police confirmed that a criminal investigation is underway regarding this case.

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HALMED states in the announcement that the manufacturer of the drug, Bayer, has determined that these are batches of the drug that were not produced and released for sale by them.

As a result, suspicion of counterfeiting has been confirmed for two batches of the drug – BXB10855 (1 box purple-white in color labeled “Levitra 20 mg”, containing 4 tablets in the package), with an expiration date of 082020, and batch 0027K79 (1 plastic bottle white in color labeled “Levitra 20 mg”, containing 30 tablets in the package), with an expiration date of APR20.

Levitra is used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in adult men, a condition that indicates difficulties in achieving or maintaining an erection, and belongs to a group of drugs that are often counterfeited.

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“All wholesalers and pharmacies are warned to pay special attention when receiving medications that are more susceptible to counterfeiting and to verify whether their suppliers adhere to the principles of good practice in the wholesale distribution of medicines and possess a wholesale license for medicines,” they state in HALMED. They urge everyone to inform them in case of any suspicion regarding the occurrence of counterfeit medicine.

They also emphasize that so far, no reports of suspicion regarding counterfeit medicine from the legal distribution chain in Croatia have been received, nor reports of quality defects or suspicions of side effects based on which it could be suspected that it is a counterfeit medicine.