Canadian pharmacist held for sale of bootleg Viagra from India

An Ontario pharmacist and two of his businesses have been charged with selling a bootleg version of Viagra, the popular blue pill used to treat erectile dysfunction, Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigators said.

It's the second time this month that police have laid charges stemming from the alleged sale of bogus drugs, fueling growing concerns about the safety of Canada's drug supply. Viagra is made by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc.

"It's clear that there are more instances of counterfeiting and consumers have to be cautious,'' Frank Monteleone, a Pfizer vice president in Ottawa, told The Canadian Press. "The primary issue, of course, is safety.''

In the most recent case, police allege the pharmacist made and dispensed capsules using sildenafil citrate, the active ingredient in Viagra, and also sold replica versions of the familiar blue, diamond-shaped tablet. Police believe the bulk powder and replica tablets, which looked exactly like the genuine article, came from India.

Police allege the phony drugs were sold through two pharmacies based in Richmond Hill, just north of Toronto, owned by 37-year-old Andrew Sommerhalder, who faces 11 charges under the Criminal Code, the Food and Drugs Act, and the Customs Act, including fraud, passing off and selling an adulterated drug.

The Ontario College of Pharmacists said it has shut down Direct Compounding, an online pharmacy which sold drugs over the Internet, and ordered Sommerhalder to step down as manager of Optimum Compounding, a storefront outlet.