An American man traveling home from the Dominican Republic was carrying more than 900 erectile dysfunction pills at Philadelphia International Airport, officials said.
The man arrived at Philly International on Sunday after flying from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers conducted a planeside inspection of baggage being offloaded from the flight. They then discovered 912 sildenafil pills of 100 mg strength tablets and 71 vials of 15 ml liquid sildenafil citrate. Sildenafil citrate is the generic name of the popular erectile dysfunction medicine Viagra.
The officers notified other officers in CBP’s federal inspection for another baggage examination. The man admitted to not having the required prescription, officials said. The officers seized the medication and the man was released. He will not face any charges.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibits the import of generic versions of FDA-approved drugs from foreign countries. Officials say there are no assurances that foreign-made versions of FDA-approved drugs were properly manufactured, safe or effective.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
Those who travel with medications should have a valid prescription or doctor’s note written in English for medications they bring into the United States and the medication should be in its original container with the doctor’s instructions printed on the bottle. Travelers are not allowed to import more than a 90-day supply.
Read more tips from the FDA on traveling with medications here.
You can also learn more about products that are prohibited while traveling here.
