Most rogue online pharmacies operate outside the US and get their supplies from overseas sources, usually from unregulated drug factories in India and China where low-quality generic medications are manufactured.

Many blame fake Internet pharmacies for increased prescription and controlled drug abuse in the US, and there have been lots of calls to shut them down, but that’s much easier said than done.

Over the past few years, the FDA, FTC, and other non-governmental organizations have managed to close down thousands of illegal Internet pharmacies, but thousands of new ones keep popping up everyday, and the war continues…

So, how to tell if a pharmacy site is illegal?

Most shady online drugstores can be identified by just taking a close look at the different sections/pages of the site. The following are some common indications of an untrustworthy pharmacy site:

• Does not provide a physical address.
• Sells controlled drugs without requiring a valid prescription.
• Does not reveal the dispensing pharmacy name or address.
• Sells non-FDA-approved medications, like generic Viagra, generic Cialis, etc.
• Offers “large” packs of prescription drugs for low prices, e.g. 400 Viagra pills for $500.

Finasteride is an FDA approved drug that is used to treat male pattern baldness (MPB). It is marketed by NJ-based Merck under the brand name Propecia.

In recent years, there have been many reports by consumers of Propecia indicating negative sexual side effects of the drug, which Merck failed to warn users about. The most common of these alleged side effects include low libido and irreversible erectile dysfunction, i.e. even if the user stops taking the drug after experiencing a decline in sexual performance, he will not be back to normal again (unlike what Merck claims).

The latest “victim” is 26 year old James from Edinburgh, UK. He says that Propecia has left him completely impotent even after he stopped taking the pills.

There’s no doubt that Propecia works like magic at stopping hair loss – even James was impressed by its effectiveness – But, if he had to choose between his hair and manhood, what do you think he’d rather keep/lose?

Lately, Tesco, a UK-based supermarket chain, announced that they will start offering Viagra for sale over the counter for a competitive price of £52 per 8 tablets. Tesco’s in-store pharmacies will make this drug available for purchase without a prescription to men aged 40 to 65 years. Their pharmacy staff will ask consumers to fill a questionnaire about their health history and undergo basic medical tests to ensure that this medication is right for them and that it won’t pose any risks to their health.

Some have already criticized Tesco’s move arguing that it might promote drug abuse and put consumers’ health at risk.

Many retailers and even Viagra’s own maker, Pfizer, have repeatedly tried to find ways to make Viagra available to consumers without a prescription, i.e. over the counter, but so far none has been authorized to offer this drug freely to anyone who wants to buy it without a doctor’s advice/prescription.

So, we will keep waiting for a “completely” over the counter version of Viagra.

Flibanserin was initially developed as an antidepressant, but in later studies it was fairly successful in treating Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD), which is characterized by the decrease or loss of sexual fantasies and desire in women for a period of time. Unlike Viagra, which treats erectile dysfunction in men by improving the man’s physical sexual ability, flibanserin works on the woman’s mind and improves her mood.

Watch the following CBS report for more information about HSDD and this new pill.

But don’t get too excited about this! An expert panel at the FDA has already voted against flibanserin. The following CBS video report has more about this decision.

That’s just another “female Viagra” pill (added to a few dozens more) that gets a ‘No’ from the FDA. There should definitely be more attempts by drug makers in the future to come up with a feminine Viagra counterpart, but will there ever be such a drug with its benefits outweighing its side effects? Let’s keep watching.

The seized medicines included Viagra, Levitra, and other sexual medications and supplements, which were found to be fake and illegally manufactured.

This is not the first, and most likely not the last, time that fake Viagra shipments and stocks get seized by authorities in different countries and ports around the world.

The pharmaceutical industry is very lucrative and active worldwide and that is a strong motive for drug counterfeiters to keep making and pushing their illegal copies of legitimate medications. Customs and health authorities in all countries always try their best to combat and stop fake medicines before they reach the end user, but it’s also the consumer’s responsibility to always talk to their doctor before buying or taking a new medicine, and to purchase the medicine from a reputable, certified drugstore.

This treatment was originally developed by Eli Lilly and Company (Cialis maker) to be used as an antidepressant. In 2003, Johnson & Johnson bought the patent from Lilly for $65M, and continued to develop the drug for the treatment of premature ejaculation.

Premature ejaculation, or rapid ejaculation, is a condition that affects many men who have poor control over their climax during intercourse, which results in early ejaculation and end of sexual urge for the male partner. Priligy gives hope to men suffering from PE and can help them enjoy long lasting action in bed.

Priligy is sold as 30mg and 60mg oral doses, priced at about £25 ($38) per tablet. The medication is available to men aged 18-64 who have a valid prescription from their doctor.

Men who suffer from low libido as a result of low testosterone levels will benefit from Axiron, which can boost their testosterone to a normal level and help them enjoy better sex drive and improved erectile function.

The drug was submitted by Lilly for FDA approval and global marketing authorization. If approved, Axiron will enter the highly competitive, $1 billion market of testosterone therapies.

About 40% of men aged 45 and older suffer from some degree of testosterone deficiency, which results in weakened sexual ability. This new medicine will add a new option for low testosterone patients who are usually prescribed rub-on gels, patches, or intramuscular injections.

The new product contains revised ingredients (some of which are also found in Viagra) that make it safe and available for use without a prescription, i.e. anyone will be able to buy it over the counter without seeing a doctor.

Pfizer has always been trying to make their in-demand ED drug as easily obtainable as possible, even if it was at the expense of the patient’s health. In fact, Pfizer has already sought to make Viagra available over the counter in Europe in 2007. However, they withdrew the application after the European Medicines Agency objected to the bid due to the potential health risks of Viagra, and to prevent increased misuse of this medication.

So, will this new ED treatment replace Viagra? Well, it will all come down to results. Even though OTC drugs are generally less effective than prescription-only ones, Pfizer may be cooking some “big” surprises in this new product. We will be following and posting updates on this story.

But for women, sexual dysfunction is more complicated and requires more than just a drug to deal with. Common sexual dysfunctions in women, e.g. low libido, are usually caused by psychological factors that no medication has yet been clinically proven to address effectively.

While some drugs, like the famous Viagra, are being prescribed off-label to women who suffer from sexual difficulties, there’s no medication that is approved by the FDA as a “female Viagra”.

Many pharmaceutical companies around the world are still in search for a female counterpart of Viagra, but until something is proven to solidly work (if any), women can discuss their sexual problems with their doctor and/or partner to work things out.

In the following video, Dr. Jennifer Ashton speaks to CBS HealthWatch about Flibanserin, an antidepressant drugs that could be the long-waited-for female libido booster.

Udenafil is a long-lasting PDE-5 inhibitor, and so it works in the same mechanism as Viagra, i.e. it relaxes blood vessels and allows more blood to flow to the genitals, which improves the man’s ability to achieve and maintain a firm erection during sexual arousal.

This drug is already approved and marketed under the brand name Zydena in some countries, including Korea and Russia. Dong-A is crossing fingers that in a couple of years they will be granted marketing authorization for Udenafil in the US and EU.

If it gets approved by the FDA, Zydena (Udenafil) will become the fourth prescription treatment option for ED patients that will compete with Viagra (sildenafil citrate), Cialis (tadalafil), and Levitra (vardenafil). More competition is always in favor of consumers who get more options, from which they can choose what is best for them in terms of results, safety, and price (after consulting a doctor, of course).