A man is suing the maker of a vitamin-enriched health drink, claiming it gave him an erection that would not subside.
Christopher Woods said he had to be hospitalised because the erection would not go down, reports Metro.
His lawsuit said he bought the health drink Boost Plus made by the Swiss-based Novartis pharmaceutical company, at a US drugstore in June, 2004.
Novartis' Boost Plus Web site describes the drink as "a great tasting, high calorie, nutritionally complete oral supplement for people who require extra energy and protein in a limited volume," in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.
Woods' court papers say he woke up the next morning "with an erection that would not subside" and sought treatment of the condition, called severe priapism.
They say Woods, 29, from New York underwent surgery that day for implantation of a Winter shunt, which moves blood from one area to another.
The lawsuit says Woods had problems that days later required a hospital visit and penile artery embolisation, a way of closing blood vessels.
Closing off some blood flow prevents engorgement of the penis with blood and lessens the likelihood of an erection.
Woods' lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, names Novartis Consumer Health Inc. as a defendant.
A spokeswoman for the company, Brandi Robinson, said the company was aware of the lawsuit but did not comment on pending litigation.
