Ephedrine Lawsuit News
Ephedrine
Consumer News
Jan 30 , 2008
Children’s Cold Medications Containing Ephedrine
According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 1 billion people will suffer from a cold at some point this year.
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Aug 21, 2007
Major Lawsuit Filed Against Pharmaceutical Company
A group of attorney’s from Batesville, Arkansas are currently involved in a major lawsuit they’ve filed against pharmaceutical companies that are suspected of profiting from drugs containing ephedrine.
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June 13, 2007
Ephedrine Raises Concerns When Combined With Exercise
Randy Eichner, physician for the University of Oklahoma “Spooners,” recently gave a talk to the American College of Sports Medicine’s 54th Annual Meeting in New Orleans about the risks involved when combining ephedrine and exercise.
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May 31, 2007
Supreme Court Denies Company’s Ephedra Appeal
The Supreme Court recently denied Nutraceutical International’s appeal to overturn the Food and Drug Administration’s 2004 decision to ban ephedra, a once popular weight-loss supplement.
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March 20, 2007
Diet Pill Dangers
People today are looking for quick fixes for everything – including the extra fat they carry around. Unfortunately, these quick fixes often do much more harm than good.
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February 21, 2007
Family Sues over Teen’s Ephedrine Death
The family of a 16-year-old who suffered a stroke after taking a supplement containing ephedrine has filed a lawsuit against the store that sold the banned supplements to him.
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January 3, 2007
Metabolife Paid Charity to Channel Funds
Metabolife channeled money through a nonprofit organization to pay for a supplement research project because the company did not want its involvement in the study known, said the researcher who received the funds.
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December 13, 2006
Dietary Supplement Makers Must Soon Report to FDA
Makers of dietary supplements must soon begin to report consumers’ serious reactions to their products to the Food and Drug Administration. This new requirement, approved this month, but scheduled to go into effect in one year, is designed to achieve close monitoring and regulation of the supplement industry, which has little oversight..
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November 17, 2006
Latest Ephedra Death Cases Settled
Lawyers have settled the last of the lawsuits arising from a slew of ephedra-related deaths which have been under investigation for the past few years.
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October 23, 2006
Settlement Reached in AMS Health Sciences Ephedra Lawsuit
AMS Health Sciences, Inc. has settled a lawsuit against them claiming that the use of one of their products containing ephedrine killed a woman.
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September 13, 2006
Settlement Reached in Ephedra-Based Supplement Lawsuit
Ephedra-based supplement manufacturer N.V.E. Pharmaceuticals has settled a lawsuit in which it was accused of misleading consumers with false claims about the efficacy and safety of its products.
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August 25 , 2006
Ruling Upholds Ephedrine Ban
Last week a federal appeals court upheld the ban on ephedrine, a weight loss supplement associated with serious and life threatening side effects. This ruling reverses the decision of a Utah judge who hindered the enforcement of the ephedrine ban against Nutracutical Corporation.
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June 29 , 2006
Senate Votes on Diet-Pill Rules
A Senate committee recently approved a bill that would require dietary-supplement manufacturers to report to the FDA any side effects or deaths associated with their medication. This is the first time that diet-pill companies would be required to report such information to regulators.
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May 25 , 2006
FDA Tries to Restore Ephedra Ban
Health Canada, the Canadian equivalent of the FDA, issued a warning to consumers this week about the serious and possibly fatal risks posed by taking ephedrine in combination with caffeine products.
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May 11 , 2006
FDA Tries to Restore Ephedra Ban
The FDA is appealing to a federal court to have the Ephedra ban upheld. A Utah judge has lifted the ban on dietary supplements containing low doses of ephedrine, a substance known to cause serious side effects. The FDA contends that this judge misunderstood the law and ignored scientific evidence about ephedra’s adverse effects on the body.
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May 2 , 2006
Ephedra Ban Challenged
Importer Emax Enterprises has filed a lawsuit against former Utah governor, the Food and Drug Administration, and U.S. Customs directors after a customs agent at Salt Lake City International Airport seized a shipment of ephedra dietary supplements in February 2006.
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April 12 , 2006
NIST Introduces Herbal Testing Standards for Ephedra
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) issued a new reference standard for the quality control of ephedra despite the FDA’s ban of the plant in 2004.
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March 28 , 2006
Ephedra-Free Diet Pills May Pose Serious Side Effects
A new study conducted by researchers at the University of California in San Francisco found that two common ephedra-free dietary supplements increase heart rate among healthy users, and could pose potentially harmful side effects in some people.
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FEBRUARY 28 , 2006
FDA Requests Seizures of Ephedrine
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Georgia has filed a Complaint for Forfeiture against drugs that are manufactured and distributed by Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals. The dietary supplements that are manufactured by the company Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals are “Lipodrene,” “Stimerex-ES,” and “Betadrene.” These supplements contain ephedrine alkaloids.
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FEBRUARY 14 , 2006
Appeal On Ephedrine Ban Is Limited
After a decision by the Food and Drug Administration to ban the drug ephedrine, a federal appeals court will allow manufacturers to challenge the FDA's ban. These lawsuits brought on by manufacturers were filed in New Jersey, Florida and Utah.
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JANUARY 16, 2006
Ephedrine drugs seized by the FDA
Under the direction of the Food and Drug Administration, US officials have seized the ephedrine dietary supplement Lipodrene, made by ATF Fitness Products, Inc.
United States Marshals confiscated five unlabeled boxes of the ephedrine supplement Lipodrene from their Pennsylvania location.
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JANUARY 16, 2006
Health Canada Warns Fatal Side Effects with Misuse of Kaizen Ephedrine HCL Pill
Health Canada has issued a warning, advising consumers not to take Kaizen Ephedrine HCL tablets for weight loss, energy purposes or other unintended uses, due to evidence of potentially fatal side effects.
The drug, that is produced by The Winning Combination as an over the counter nasal decongestant, has shown to have detrimental health effects in those using it in combination with caffeine and other stimulants.
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DECEMBER 19, 2005
Metabolife Charged for Tax Fraud
The outcome of a tax inquiry by the US Attorney's office has ended with a criminal fine of $600,000. This was levied against Metabolife International, the San Diego-based herbal drug maker that made headlines because if its ephedra containing diet supplements. In addition to the monetary fine, Metabolife was sentenced to a three-year probation. The criminal charges were due to the company's fraudulent income tax returns.
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September 3, 2003
One man pushes for an ephedra ban across the U.S.
After Kevin Riggins’ son died at high school football
practice from heatstroke while using an ephedra-containing
product, Riggins has been on a mission to make ephedra
illegal and has pushed for a Metabolife lawsuit. So adamant about getting ephedra off the market,
Riggins has even attracted the attention of Illinois
Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Already in the news, Riggins’ mission to remove ephedra from the shelves allowed the
governor to sign into Illinois law Senate Bill 1418,
which makes Illinois the first and only state thus far
to ban ephedra sales.
Riggins was not satisfied with just an Illinois ephedra
ban, however and is now charging forward to get “ephedra
off the streets in the entire country”. Hoping
to get ephedra companies to be held up to the same standards
as other over the counter drug companies, Riggins will
have a tough road to battle. Ephedra has continued to
be a controversial subject and not all physicians will
agree that ephedra and death are linked. Either way,
ephedra is considered dangerous enough that sports leagues
have banned the substance.
For more information on ephedra side effects contact
us to confer with an ephedra side effects
lawyer.
August 12, 2003
Web sites may be violating FTC standards when selling
ephedra products
A study published in an August 2003 Mayo Clinic Proceedings
suggests Web sites might be violating truth-in-advertising
standards when selling ephedra-containing products.
There were 32 Web sites evaluated in the recent study
and most of them failed to adhere to Federal Trade Commission
standards.
For more information on ephedra side effects, including
Metabolife side effects, please contact us to confer
with a Metabolife lawyer.
August 6, 2003
Two NFL players suspended for ephedra
NFL officials are not taking risks by allowing players
to take herbal supplement ephedra. Use of ephedra was
banned in September 2001, shortly after a Vikings lineman
died from heatstroke after using an ephedra-containing
supplement. Denver safety Lee Flowers and Minnesota
tight end Byron Chamberlain were suspended for the first
four games of the season after they tested positive
for ephedra because of the zero-tolerance policy.
For more information on ephedra side effects, including
Metabolife side effects, please contact us to confer
with a Metabolife lawyer.
July 28, 2003
Ephedra misunderstanding
Eugene Orza, the associate general counsel of the Major
League Baseball Players Association has said that the
union would not agree to an ephedra ban unless the federal
government bans ephedra. Many lawmakers that think Orza
should be taking a tougher stance against ephedra, especially
following pitcher Steve Bechler’s death, have
criticized Orza’s statement. The AP reported on
the ephedra baseball story and wanted to clear up that
major league baseball does not have the power to unilaterally
ban ephedra without being negotiated by the players’
union. For more information on ephedra contact
us.
July
24, 2003
Stricter ephedra regulation wanted
Metabolife International is currently under investigation
for herbal weight loss supplement Metabolife, which
contains ephedra. According to the company it had not
received any reports of adverse effects due to the ephedra
ingredient, however later the company turned over 14,000
records to the FDA. The company issued a statement regarding
Metabolife saying it “strongly believes in the
science supporting the safety and efficacy of dietary
supplements that contain ephedra when used as directed.”
There are many scientists disagreeing with Metabolife’s
statement. Following ephedra safety studies, The GAO
found that despite following labeling directions, many
reported ephedra side effects were still made. In addition,
some scientists believe that it is impossible to prove
if ephedra is safe or not because of ephedra studies
that do not include people with health problems, which
would naturally increase the risks of suffering adverse
ephedra effects. For more information on ephedra contact
us.
July 24, 2003
Democrats want quick ephedra action
Many lawmakers are becoming increasingly frustrated
at the delayed actions against regulating ephedra. The
FDA required that all ephedra products contain warnings
of the potential deadly risks ephedra has been linked
to five months ago, however promises of ephedra action
has yet to be fulfilled.
Ephedra critics have long argued that the lack of ephedra
regulation is due to political ties. According to Rep.
James Greenwood, “It’s pretty darn clear
to me that this product has such an intense physiological
response – and a potentially dangerous one –
that it really doesn’t fit what Congress had in
mind when they implemented dietary supplements,”
(signonsandiego.com, 7/24/03). For more information
on ephedra contact
us.
July 24, 2003
Arkansas doctors trying to eliminate ephedra
Some Arkansas doctors are trying to eliminate the use
of ephedra in light of the growing evidence of deadly
and dangerous ephedra side effects. Doctors at UAMS
that have been studying ephedra think that ephedra use
is widely underestimated and that the deaths and serious
health problems resulting indicate the need for an ephedra
ban. For more information on ephedra contact
us.
May 20, 2003
Ephedra foundation formed by parents
Illinois was the first state to ban the sales of ephedra,
thanks in part to parents of a 16-year old victim of
an ephedra-containing product who died of heart failure
in September 2002. The parents formed a foundation to
make people aware of the dangers of ephedra to prevent
anymore ephedra losses from occurring. Joining with
lawmakers to seek legislation, the parents testified
before Congress and helped push a bill that now makes
it much harder to find ephedra-containing products in
Illinois. Contact
us to confer with an ephedra lawyer.
May 19, 2003
Illinois first state to ban ephedra sales
Illinois is the first state to pass an ephedra ban and
other states are expected to follow in its footsteps.
Linked to more than a hundred deaths, thousands of heart
attacks, strokes, and other serious adverse reactions,
many have been questioning why ephedra-containing products
have remained available. Top medical groups have been
pushing for a nationwide ban due to ephedra’s
dangerous effects, yet the FDA has been absent, leaving
many to wonder why stricter enforcement, or enforcement
at all, has not been present.
After the decision to ban ephedra products in Illinois
the Governor Rod Blagojevich said that the decision
was made because, “If we wait for the FDA we run
the risk of seeing more young men and women die unnecessarily.”
The Illinois governor’s statement seems to be
the opinion of many, much to the displeasure of the
highly profitable ephedra producing industry. Metabolife
International thinks that the Illinois ephedra ban is
a blow to consumer freedom.
If the Illinois ephedra bill is signed into the law,
selling ephedra supplements in Illinois will be a misdemeanor
and punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000
fine. Any repeat offenders could then face up to five
years in jail and a $20,000 fine. Currently, California,
New York, Texas, and Massachusetts are considering an
ephedra ban as well. Contact
us to confer with an ephedra lawyer.
May 19, 2003
Ephedra and ephedra alternatives risky
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced
he would use ephedra products and wanted the FDA to
put warning labels on ephedra to alert consumers of
the potentially fatal side effects it can cause. Due
to the growth of ephedra litigation because of the high
profile deaths that have called attention to the dangerous
unregulated supplement, more companies have begun to
make ephedra free supplements available.
Still, consumers should remain wary of these ephedra
alternatives according to health experts. The National
Institute of Health has performed numerous studies on
ephedra-free weight loss products and has found that
the products can help people lose a few pounds, however
the weight is often retained after a couple weeks when
its’ effectiveness wears off. Contact
us to confer with an ephedra lawyer.
May 8, 2003
Naval Exchange withdraws ephedra products
The Naval Exchange (NEX) system was already taking steps
to remove ephedra dietary supplements available to military
personnel despite the high profile deaths associated
to ephedra that has sparked even more focus on the dangers.
All ephedra products had been removed from all commissaries,
AAFES, and NEX stores worldwide over a year ago, but
the GNC stores were still able to sell ephedra product
in the Naval Submarine Base New London Exchange. In
February 2003, the NEX requested that the ephedra products
be pulled. An NEX spokesman said that NEXCOM had been
working with the Bureau of Medicine on flyers and health
labels before making the final decision to pull ephedra
products from military facilities in light of the new
health warnings and recent ephedra deaths.
May 7, 2003
Ephedra class action lawsuit makes closing arguments
The makers of an ephedra-containing product, Cytodyne
Technologies has been battling an ephedra class action
lawsuit, which just made its closing arguments in court.
The ephedra lawsuit alleged that the maker misled consumers
about the effectiveness and safety of the ephedra product.
The lawsuit alleged that clinical studies do not substantiate
advertising claims on the safety or performance-enhancement
benefits of the ephedra-containing product.
The ephedra product has been linked to a number of
deaths, increased blood pressure, and increased heartbeat.
The Cytodyne product, Xenadrine was the same ephedra
pill that was linked to MLB player Steve Bechler’s
death. The San Diego City Attorney’s Office also
joined in a separate Cytodyne Xenadrine ephedra lawsuit
to stop the misleading advertising.
May 7, 2003
Illinois lawmakers considering regulating ephedra
Illinois lawmakers were considering an ephedra ban but
there are now talks of regulating ephedra. A proposed
ephedra bill would ban ephedra for anyone under 18 and
require that ephedra warning labels be on the products.
May 6, 2003
GNC to end carrying all ephedra products
GNC announced its stores would stop selling all ephedra-containing
products at the end of June. A GNC corporate spokesperson
said that with ephedra-free products now available there
is no point in risking suffering ephedra side effects.
The supplement chain claims removing ephedra has nothing
to do with the threat of ephedra lawsuits.
May 3, 2003
Ephedra linked to high number of Marine illnesses
A military study that was part of the research
considered by the Navy’s Surgeon General when
the decision to pull ephedra products from Marine bases
was made back in February 2001 has shown that half of
all heat-related illnesses reported in 2000 at Camp
Pendleton were linked to ephedra use. The ephedra study
was high considering only 7% of Marines used ephedra
on a daily basis. An emergency room physician at the
Naval Hospital in San Diego said that he conducted a
survey of 300 Camp Pendleton Marines and found that
7% used ephedra on a daily basis, 11% used ephedra weekly
or less, and 82% of those surveyed said they did not
use ephedra.
A 2000 review of hospital medical records found that
half of the few Marines using ephedra had suffered heat-related
illnesses within 24 hours of using ephedra. The military
physician is currently in Iraq and said that prior to
leaving the country he had treated about one Camp Pendleton
Marine each month in the emergency room because of ephedra-related
problems, including irregular heartbeat and acute psychosis.
According to Dr. Sidney Wolfe of Public Citizen, a consumer
group that has been aggressively pushing the FDA to
remove ephedra products from the market for years, the
Camp Pendleton findings underscore the need for the
removal of ephedra products.
For more ephedra information contact
us.
April 19, 2003
Ephedra reports continue to show dangers
A year and a half ago, South Dakota State investigated
the claims that ephedra caused weight reduction by elevating
resting metabolic rate. By using eight (four women and
four men) healthy, normal weight college students, the
participants were given an ephedra supplement that contained
20mgs of ephedra alkaloids and 150 mgs of caffeine (amounting
to about two strong cups of coffee). Within three hours
of being given the ephedra supplements, the resting
metabolic rate did rise, but not high enough to allow
a person to quickly lose weight but it did raise the
systolic blood pressure by 10%.
This ephedra finding was especially worrisome considering
ephedra was recommended for exercise use. Exercising
without the use of ephedra-containing supplements raises
the blood pressure, so the combination of ephedra and
exercise appeared to be very dangerous. Due to the worrisome
ephedra results, the South Dakota State ephedra experiment
was repeated, except the ephedra-caffeine product was
given to the ten men and women an hour before exercise
and while the results showed blood pressure did not
drastically increase, the heart rates did greatly elevate
at a 15-17% rise.
Even an hour after exercise, the use of ephedra continued
to keep heart rates at a high elevation. When heart
rate increases occur, body temperature can also be driven
up, a problem seen amongst ephedra-using athletes. Studies
continue to confirm the dangers of ephedra, the highly
controversial diet supplement linked to death, stroke,
heart attack, seizures, and other permanent nerve damages
and adverse effects.
April 17, 2003
Public Citizen requests ephedra ban for
second time
Public Citizen first petitioned the FDA for the removal
of ephedra-containing products in September 2001. The
group has requested, once again, that an ephedra ban
be made in response to the increased blood pressure
and pulse rate, in addition to increased risk of heart
rhythm abnormalities, heart attack, and stroke that
has occurred with ephedra products. The director of
the Health Research Group of Public Citizen, Dr. Sidney
Wolfe, think that the FDA has failed to take adequate
safety measures over the years by hiding behind the
law that federally exempts the regulation of dietary
supplements like ephedra.
Ephedra’s stay on the market has been partially
attributed to the pressure over lawmakers that companies
like Metabolife have made through large financial campaign
contributions according to Wolfe. The hold that Metabolife
has had on the lucrative industry has allowed ephedra
to remain on the market. Wolfe continues to point to
the ephedra reports linking ephedra to 1000 deaths and
several hundred adverse reactions to enough evidence
for the FDA to ban the supplement.
Although the FDA has failed to ban ephedra- containing
products, the lack of federal regulation has not stopped
the NFL, NCAA, Canadian government, Army, Air Force,
and many stores from voluntarily doing so. The Public
Citizen ephedra report said, “We call on the FDA
as an agency of the Public Health Service to fulfill
their legal responsibility and to stop the occurrence
of further preventable deaths and injuries by banning
ephedra products.” The consumer group had its
ephedra request published in the journal Science.
April 10, 2003
California considers ephedra ban
The majority of ephedra-containing dietary supplement
companies are located in California. Already, California
requires that all ephedra-containing products carry
warning labels, however now the state is considering
an outright ephedra ban. Other states that followed
California’s ephedra warning labels include Hawaii,
Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, and Washington.
In California alone, ephedra-containing products are
a $200 million industry, which is why many people have
been pushing for a ban that do not believe an ephedra
warning label alone can help prevent the over 17,000
complaints that include 100 deaths. Already, Canada,
Germany, and the United Kingdom have banned ephedra-containing
products. The New England Journal of Medicine has linked
ephedra-containing products to hypertension, palpitations,
racing heartbeat, strokes, and seizures.
April 9, 2003
Ephedra ban on its way
Senator Jackie Speier introduced a new measure that
would prohibit the sales of any ephedra-containing products.
The ephedra bill has so far passed the first steps into
becoming a law. There is a Senate hearing planned for
today on ephedra that is scheduled to reach the state
Senate Appropriations Committee in late April or early
May 2003. Speier had been trying to restrict ephedra
sales to minors and after the death of MLB player Steve
Bechler was able to use the heightened media to introduce
the ephedra bill. In California, all ephedra-containing
products are required to carry warning labels on the
over $200 million a year industry in that state alone.
April 9, 2003
Consumer Union urges federal ban of ephedra-containing
products
Many consumer advocates have been urging the federal
government to ban availability of ephedra-containing
products for years; most recently Consumer Union sent
a letter to the FDA to ban ephedra. Although the FDA
proposed new warning labels be placed on the dietary
pills and sports enhancement supplements containing
ephedra, the consumer group does not feel warnings alone
are adequate. The ephedra risks are considered a serious
public health hazard to the agency.
Another consumer advocate group, Public Citizen petitioned
the FDA in 2001 for the removal of ephedra-containing
products. It was not until the February 17, 2003 death
of MLB player Steve Bechler that an increased focus
was brought to the deadly ephedra side effects that
have affected thousands of people. Recently, the Missouri
Attorney General Jay Nixon sued Hydroxycut, an ephedra
product maker. This ephedra lawsuit has brought even
more pressure on the federal government to take a more
proactive stance towards the availability of ephedra-containing
products.
Nixon has openly criticized the FDA’s lack of
regulation on ephedra-containing products, saying, “Billions
of dollars are spent on these products, and yet the
FDA doesn’t regulate them.” The FDA has
claimed in the past that due to the 1994 Dietary Supplement
Health and Education Act that exempted dietary supplements
from federal regulation, the agency was unable to ban
ephedra without having evidence of unreasonable risks
of injury. There have been over 1,400 reported ephedra
adverse reports and 100 deaths. The dangerous ephedra
side effects include heart attacks, strokes, seizures,
and death, plenty of evidence for the agency to stop
the sales of ephedra-containing products according to
many consumer groups.
April 9, 2003
Ephedra study shows serious cardiovascular effects
The FDA has attributed 64% of all reported herbal side
effects to ephedra. The newest ephedra related study
was completed and will be presented at an April 11-5,
2003 meeting with more than 7500 scientists and researchers
thought to be in attendance. The ephedra study concluded
that anyone that ingests both caffeine and ephedra prior
to exercise will affect the cardiovascular system by
increasing hypersensitive response before, during, and
after exercising.
February 18, 2003
Ephedrine use may have contributed to death
of baseball pitcher
Baltimore Orioles baseball pitching prospect, Steve
Bechler died of heatstroke on Monday, February 17, 2003.
An unidentified source  has
said that Bechler’s teammate was hiding a bottle
of ephedrine that was eventually turned over to rescue
workers. Whether or not the ephedrine contributed to
Bechler’s death will not be known for two or three
weeks when the final autopsy results become known.
Bechler has had a weight problem that he had been battling
for the majority of his five-year professional baseball
career and the dietary supplement has been linked to
heatstroke deaths. Despite the NFL and NCAA ban of ephedrine,
the MLB has not made any ruling regarding dietary supplements
as of yet.
NFL Vikings lineman Korey Stringer died in August 2001
of heatstroke and bottles of ephedrine supplements were
found in his locker. Ephedrine increased the risk of
heatstroke because of the interference the supplement
has with the body’s ability to get rid of heat.
Professional athletes that push the limits of strength
and endurance, especially in conditions of humidity
and heat, can experience increased risk of deadly events.
Regardless of whether or not the autopsy reports conclude
ephedrine contributed to Bechler’s death, the
MLB may not be able to avoid making a ruling against
dietary supplements any longer. Bechler was just 23
at the time of his death.
For
more information on ephedra dangers and Metabolife dangers,
please contact us.
JANUARY, 2003
People continue to take legal action into their own
hands against the most popular herbal diet supplement,
ephedra containing Metabolife diet pills due to the
inadequate government action against the herbal industry
consumers are finding to exist. The first personal injury
case against Metabolife was decided in November 2002,
awarding 6 plaintiffs over $4 million.
The FDA’s failure to pull Metabolife and other
ephedra-containing products from the market is continuing
to put mainly women at risk for death, stroke, heart
attack, seizure, and psychosis. The effects of Metabolife
have been shown to help a consumer
lose just one third of a pound a week, despite the promise
of eating anything and everything in sight. A Federal
Trade Commission panel recently found Metabolife’s
diet claims to be false and scientifically impossible.
Unfortunately, Metabolife’s minimal diet effects
continue to lure in consumers, with Metabolife’s
sales over the last five years reaching 50 million bottles,
averaging 101,000 pills per hour. The Metabolife controversy
and its continued availability on the market has been
attributed to the FDA’s failure to take decisive
action, the low level of support against ephedra-containing
products from legislators, and the desire for ephedra
companies to continue capitalizing on the large market
of dieting Americans.
Despite the evidence of ephedra’s dangerous health
effects dating back to as early as 1996, ephedra-containing
products, like Metabolife, continue to adversely affect
Americans. Instead of the FDA taking action to restrict
the sales of ephedra and Metabolife, the Department
of Health and Human Services decided last June for the
Rand Corporation to study the existing ephedra scientific
data. Representative Henry Waxman saw this FDA decision
as a “decision to delay”.
Public Citizen consumer group, who has been petitioning
the FDA to ban Metabolife and other ephedra-containing
products since September 2001, responded to the agency
requesting the Rand Corp perform studies that it should
“resulting the firing of all official in HHS and
the FDA who are responsible for this dangerous cowardice.”
Although some of the toughest U.S. bills to regulate
ephedra-containing products have been proposed, the
likelihood of them passing are not likely according
to some experts.
For
more information on ephedra dangers and Metabolife dangers,
please contact us.
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