Black market hormone was really impotence drug
A substance sold as the growth hormone Genotropin on the Finnish black market has proven to be a medicine used in the treatment of impotence.
According to the Finnish pharmaceutical reference book Pharmaca Fennica, the drug, known as Caverject, should not be used in conjunction with other medicines, and it should not be administered to women.
Already during the Christmas holidays the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) warned the public about suspect Genotropin ampoules. A number of them were found in Jyväskylä in mid-December during a raid connected with series of crimes involving sports doping.
Further investigations revealed that the ampoules were probably original Caverject containers, with forged Genotropin labels added.
When abused Caverject can do unexpected damage. The NBI says that it does not know where the forgers got the Caverject.
The price of a dose of Genotropin is more than 20 times as high as that of Caverject, a prescription medicine that is injected directly into the penis.
Police believe that some of the counterfeit Genotropin ampoules may still be available on the Finnish black market.