Oman bans import of Viagra for at least two years

The Ministry of Health in the Sultanate of Oman decided yesterday to ban the import of the impotence drug Viagra to the Sultanate. The ministry said that Oman requires a drug to be marketed in the producer's home country for two years before it will approve sale of the new medicine in order to make sure it does not pose any health dangers.

Dr. Sawsan bint Ahmed bin Ja'afar, Director-General of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Monitoring in Oman, related the issuing of the resolution to the ambiguity surrounding the negative effects of Viagra, especially some users in Egypt had to be taken to the hospital and others in the U.S. died.

Viagra has also been greeted with less than open arms in other Arab states. Egypt decided not to market Viagra, and made a wide inspection campaign in pharmacies for the drug. Also the UAE has decided to postpone the sale of Viagra until the end of the current year.

Meanwhile the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health warned citizens of the negative effects of this medicine on the heart, the circulation system, the reproductive organs, and the optical and nervous systems.