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lthough there are no guarantees that the drugs are bona fide, customers keep coming back to drug kiosks looking for aphrodisiacs to boost their libidos.

“He’s one of our regular customers. He usually comes here to buy Nangen, an aphrodisiac that is widely known to be a product of China,” Darto said after serving a customer at his drugstore in East Jakarta on Thursday.

He said that the aphrodisiacs had proven to be good for business ever since he began selling them three years ago, with at least one customer requesting the stimulants each day.

Recent raids on illegal drugstores in Jakarta and the confiscation of 700 illegal and likely counterfeited Viagra pills have not noticeably affected the business.

“But I think the number of customers has decreased a little bit lately, unlike two years ago, probably due to how many kiosks are selling such products around here now,” Darto said.

He said that regular customers usually had their own favorite drugs, depending on their conditions and needs.

Viagra, commonly known as “the blue pill”, became the drug of choice for those without heart problems who wanted stronger and longer-lasting results, while the other brands, such as Cialis and Nangen, were for those who needed lower doses.

“Before buying the stimulants, some of our customers ask if the drugs we sell are original or fake. I honestly don’t really know, but I guess we can see if it’s authentic or not from the mark on the tablet,” he said while showing The Jakarta Post the blue pills.

He added that one tablet of Viagra sold for Rp 70,000 (US$8.15), while other brands were between Rp 30,000 to Rp 50,000.

Apart from selling the aphrodisiacs, he has also fielded questions from customers looking for advice before deciding to buy the drugs.

Another seller, Awi, said that, although the business was rather slow due to the tight competition, he could also assure that at least one customer bought the sexual stimulants each day. “Most of the buyers are living nearby. Most of them are men, but several women also have come here,” he said.

Awi said he did not know if the drugs were counterfeit or authentic, as the supplier did not give him any information about the drugs.

“We have been raided several times. The officers said the drugs were fake and dangerous,” he said.

Aphrodisiac kiosks can easily be found at almost every corner of the city.

Indonesian Sexology Association chairman Wimpie Pangkahila said that Viagra should only be used with a medical prescription, and the pills that were sold at the stalls could be categorized as illegal. “The blue pills that are sold freely at the kiosks are illegal, although maybe some of the drugs are authentic,” he said.

He added that although there have not been any deaths caused by illegal Viagra, it was confirmed that the pills would harm the consumers.

“Fake drugs mean we never know where the drugs were produced, whether it was in a clean laboratory or not, what kind of substances the producer used to make the drugs and if drugs were contaminated by poisonous materials or not,” Wimpie said.

Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) chairwoman Kustanti-nah said that most of the illegal
Viagra tablets were not authentic.

“It’s not easy for common people to distinguish between the authentic and the fake ones. The safest way is to not buy those drugs without doctor’s prescriptions,” she said.

Recently, officials from the East Jakarta Health Agency, the Public Order Office and BPOM raided 20 illegal drug stores and confiscated 700 illegal Viagra pills.

The raids were conducted based on information provided by locals who had become suspicious after learning that the blue pills were offered at discount prices.

BPOM said that the raids would take place every month.