--- title: Chinese Distillers Accused of Spiking Alcohol With Viagra description: Chinese distillers allegedly spiked some of their spirits with viagra, officials said Sunday. canonical: https://time.com/3981543/viagra-alcohol-china/ author: Jack Linshi article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-02T20:32:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:22:55.541Z og:title: Chinese Distillers Accused of Spiking Alcohol With Viagra og:description: Erectile dysfunction drugs added to "health-preserving" liquor og:url: https://time.com/3981543/viagra-alcohol-china/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3de6358518b9dc26/69885d7d0b72e3dca76e531f/viagra-alcohol-china.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Viagra Alcohol China og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Chinese Distillers Accused of Spiking Alcohol With Viagra twitter:description: Erectile dysfunction drugs added to "health-preserving" liquor twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3de6358518b9dc26/69885d7d0b72e3dca76e531f/viagra-alcohol-china.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Chinese Distillers Accused of Spiking Alcohol With Viagra > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=34dac5cb-bccc-449a-af94-8646e5f445f9&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=34dac5cb-bccc-449a-af94-8646e5f445f9&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=34dac5cb-bccc-449a-af94-8646e5f445f9&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Aug 2, 2015 8:32 PM UTC  (GERMANY OUT) potency pill Viagra ( 100mg ) - blue / Pfizer (Photo by Raupach/ullstein bild via Getty Images) (GERMANY OUT) potency pill Viagra ( 100mg ) - blue / Pfizer (Photo by Raupach/ullstein bild via Getty Images) Raupach/ullstein bild—Getty Images  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Aug 2, 2015 8:32 PM UTC Two distillers are under investigation in China for allegedly spiking their alcohol with the anti-impotence drug Viagra, officials said on Saturday. Chinese investigators discovered over 5,300 bottles suspected of being tainted with sildenafil, the chemical name for Viagra, during a routine inspection of the two distilleries in the southern city of Liuzhou, [_BBC_ reports.](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-33751212) According to [the city’s food and drug administration](http://www.gxlzfda.gov.cn/gzdt/201508/t20150801%5F812001.html), the powdery white drug was added into three different types of “health-preserving” [_baijiu_](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-17/baijiu-china-s-potent-liquor-is-poised-to-try-to-make-a-splash-in-the-u-s-)_,_ a popular spirit analogous to vodka. Some bottles also contained naproxen and indomethacin, which are anti-inflammatory drugs, and tadafil, which is a different erectile dysfunction drug sold as Cialis or Adcirca. [Food safety](http://time.com/3265220/baidu-smart-chopsticks/) remains a top public health concern in China, with a scandal involving 100,000 tons of [rotting meat](http://time.com/3933411/china-meat-40-years-food-safety-smuggled/) making headlines just weeks ago. \[[_BBC_](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-33751212)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3981543/viagra-alcohol-china/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3981543/viagra-alcohol-china/"},"headline":"Chinese Distillers Accused of Spiking Alcohol With Viagra","datePublished":"2015-08-02T20:32:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:22:55.541Z","description":"Erectile dysfunction drugs added to \"health-preserving\" liquor","url":"https://time.com/3981543/viagra-alcohol-china/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Food & Drink","China"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3de6358518b9dc26/69885d7d0b72e3dca76e531f/viagra-alcohol-china.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jack Linshi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3de6358518b9dc26/69885d7d0b72e3dca76e531f/viagra-alcohol-china.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Viagra Alcohol China","caption":"Viagra Alcohol China","creditText":"Raupach/ullstein bild—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3981543/viagra-alcohol-china/","name":"Chinese Distillers Accused of Spiking Alcohol With Viagra"}}]}] ```