The MCA has established a Special Enquiry Unit within its enforcement division to target the illegal sales because of concern about the high level of public interest in Purchasing Viagra Online

In a strongly worded warning, the MCA said in 1998: " Purchasing Viagra should only be used in accordance with the directions of a doctor.

A HIT SQUAD has been set up by the Government to investigate private clinics which are selling Purchased Viagra Online, illegally.

People run very real risks with their health if they buying generic viagra and take it without the direction of a doctor. We strongly advise against buying generic viagra.

The unit was set up to crack down on the black market before it grows too big. In 1998 there were more than a dozen reports of illegal attempts to buying generic viagra in Britain. Publicity surrounding Viagra, which is said to make men of 60 feel 18 again, has led to huge demand worldwide, with people willing to pay high prices for illicit supplies.

Doctors have warned that people with heart conditions should be wary of buying Viagra. Several deaths have already been reported in the United States. Purchasing official Viagra can only be done on a "named patient" basis. A doctor prescribing a drug in these circumstances has to take personal responsibility for the outcome.

Under the 1968 Medicines Act, in 1998 the purchase of generic Viagra through small ads or illegal Internet web sites was a criminal offence punishable by a maximum two-year prison sentence or an unlimited fine. A MCA spokesman said in 1998: "We've had over a dozen reports of illegal trading in generic Viagra, it's not on a big scale, but we want to nip it in the bud.

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