Neoviagra-Y.R. and Tetrodocain

Blogging about DPRK issues in a ridiculing manner is often too easy, but sometimes the temptation is just too big, like in what is conveyed in an article by Daily NK on DPRK medicine manufactured for export. Actually the article is about how the Chinese traders once again ended up realizing the miserable quality of those products, namely Neoviagra-Y.R and Tetrodocain. A package of Neoviagra-Y.R, linked from Daily NK. Neoviagra-Y.R. is said to be effective not only to what its name may insinuate but many other bodily malfunctions and ills as well. Judging from the account of the medicine in the DPRK-affiliated site Naenara "Y.R" comes from "restoring youth." Neoviagra-Y.R is apparently nothing sort of a miraculous medicine: Y.R is known as an excellent medicine highly efficacious for lumbago, shoulder pains, arthritis, obesity, hepatitis, nephritis and cerebral arteriosclerosis. In particular, it is popular among people as clinicopharmacologically the most advanced medicine for sexual malfunction of male and female and as a stimulator of sexual function; it is specially efficacious for male impotence and female sexual malfunction. Daily NK tells in more detail what is said in the description of use of Neoviagra-Y.R: After taking the medicine, it is possible to have sexual intercourse up to 3-6 times within 1-2 hours, and one can last even 30 minutes at one time. In the period of 16 to 24 hours one is able to have intercourse up to 10 times. [...] Compared to the US-manufactured Viagra, it is also effective in treating arteriosclerosis (what's that?) and obesity. "Up to 3-6 times after 1-2 hours" - 이 약이 기쁨조를 거느리는 놈들 위한 거 아닌가? Daily NK introduces Tetrodocain mainly as a cure for users of controlled substances, but the list of illnesses that it's supposed to alleviate is much much longer in a KCNA article from August 26, 2004: [...] When it is applied, anesthesia comes quickly and lasts long. It has no after-effect. It is efficacious for pain from cancer of the last stage, contusion, neuralgia, rheumatic arthritis, geriatric diseases, malignant influenza, bronchial asthma, bronchial inflammation, pneumonia, pharyngitis, splenitis and respiratory diseases. It is also good for the treatment of nose, pharynx, gullet and other cancers. Its efficacy is 80 percent. The injection can be used as anti-virus and anti-tuberculosis medicine to kill viruses in organic body including AIDS and SARC. It also helps detoxicates narcotic poisoning. As usual, Daily NK speaks in quite a straightforward manner of what is allegedly behind the marketing of Tetrodocain. In August 2004 the Chinese authorities had arrested a Chinese-Korean businessman who had been dealing drugs out of DPRK, and that led to increased pressure by authorities on the drug trafficing over the DPRK-Chinese border. This would have further led DPRK to start marketing this wonder medicine instead to earn Euros and Dollars. The Daily NK doesn't quote any Chinese pharmaceutical authority but Chinese trades for its assessment of Tetrodocain, which is said to be nothing more than just an ordinary pain-killing effect. Chinese traders' opinion of Neoviagra-Y.R on the other hand was that as there were no actual effects, fortunately there were no side effects either. Tetrodocain is listed at the South-North Technology Transfer Network (남북기술이전네트워크); from this page I learn that the stuff is made of Tetrodotoxin, which from some further googling turns out to be the poison of the swellfish (puffer fish): Tetrodotoxin is the poison that is produced by the puffer fish and a number of other animals. It is a virulent poison, the LD50 for the mouse is 10 nanograms. It acts by blocking the conduction of nerve impulses along nerve fibers and axons. The victim eventually dies from respiratory paralysis. Categories at del.icio.us/hunjang: DPRK ∙ consumption