Court Halts Sale of ‘Vaegra’ Drug

The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday said it had won a court order temporarily stopping sales of an imitation of anti-impotence pill Viagra.

It said American Urological Corp. has been blocked from selling “Vaegra” and accused the company of making false claims about it.

“These defendants have illegally cashed in on the publicity and popularity surrounding a new medical product and exploited consumers desperate for a cure,” said Jodie Bernstein, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

The FTC said the U.S. District Court in Atlanta had frozen the assets of the company, of several related companies and of David Brady, who controls them.

Viagra, made by Pfizer Inc., is the first oral pill for impotence.

Its success has spawned a number of fakes, none of which are approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

The FTC says Brady and his companies used direct mail to sell a range of unapproved products.

Brady was unavailable for comment.