Personal Injury Law

FDA Expands List Of Tainted Weight Loss Pills

By Chrissie Cole

The FDA has expanded its nationwide alert not to purchase several weight loss products because they contain undeclared, active pharmaceutical ingredients.

In December, the FDA identified 28 tainted products. Since that time, the agency has identified 41 more tainted weight loss products.

These weight loss products often claim to be 'natural' while others say they have 'herbal' ingredients, sometimes in higher dosages than recommended.

Many serious health risks are posed by these products including, heart attack, stroke, seizures, high blood pressure, tachycardia and palpitations.

The undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients include:

bumetanide and furosemide – potent prescription only diuretics

cetilistat – an experimental obesity drug not approved in the U.S.

fenproporex – a controlled substance not approved in the U.S.

fluoxetine – a prescription only antidepressant (a.k.a Prozac)

Phenolphthalein – a suspected cancer causing agent that is used in some chemical experiments.

phenytoin – a prescription only anti-seizure medication

rimonabant – approved in Europe, but not in the US. The drug is associated with at least five deaths in Europe and 7290 adverse reports. Its use is linked to an increased risk of depression and suicidal thoughts.

Sibutramine, a controlled substance, was found in several of these products at significantly higher levels than the maximum daily dosage of Meridia, the only FDA-approved drug that contains sibutramine. Higher levels of this substance can increase the occurence and severity of possible health risks.

These tainted products pose a great risk to public health because they contain undeclared ingredients and, in some cases, prescription drugs in amounts that greatly exceed maximum recommended dosages,' said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, FDA. 'Consumers have no way of knowing these products contain potent drugs that can cause serious health consequences.'

Fatloss Slimming, 2 Day Diet, 3x Slimming Power, Japan Lingzhi 24 Hours Diet, 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming and 3 Day Diet are a few of the weight loss pills included on the updated list.

The full list of 72 weight loss products can be found on the FDA Web site. #

Full post as published by InjuryBoard on March 22, 2009 (boomark / email).