Submit your Defective Drugs claim details for a free, no obligation case review.
Get Started:
drug_recall ephedrineIn February 2004, after years of intense scrutiny, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially banned the sale of ephedra in any dietary supplement in the United States, due to risk of illness or injury. Ephedra, also known as ma huang, a Chinese herb, is part of a group of plants that produces ephedrine, which is then synthesized to make the drug used in dietary supplements.
The ephedra ban came just over a month after a December 30, 2003 consumer warning was issued advising consumers to discontinue use of all products containing the ingredient. The FDA warning advised 62 companies that marketed ephedra products that a ban was to go into effect within 60 days.
Prior to the ban, ephedra had seen growing popularity as a weight loss and body performance enhancer present in numerous well-known supplements, including Metabolife, Xenadrine and Hydroxycut.
The ephedra ban marked the first time the FDA has blocked the sale of an over-the-counter nutritional supplement. Unlike medications, nutritional supplements do not have to receive FDA approval before they are marketed to the public. Pharmaceutical manufacturers are responsible for proving a medication is safe for the public before the FDA approves it for sale. On the contrary, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 requires the FDA to show proof of significant risk to consumers'' health before it prohibits the marketing of a particular supplement. Dietary supplements can be on the shelves until the government finds sufficient evidence to prove them to be hazardous.
In contemplating the ephedra ban, the FDA took into consideration numerous studies from health groups such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, who sponsored the RAND Corporation report reviewing all of the published literature on the effects of ephedra on the body. The FDA also solicited public testimonials on the side effects of the drug and reviewed calls made to poison control centers from people experiencing adverse reactions to ephedra.
The FDA''s final ruling on the ephedra ban was published on April 12, 2004. The ruling "declares dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids (ephedra) adulterated because such supplements present an unreasonable risk of illness or injury." Further sale of the drug in any form is considered illegal. Since the final ruling, the FDA has increased surveillance of the Internet and other outlets to ensure manufacturers are not continuing to promote and market ephedra products.
There is a new batch of diet pills popularly taken to lose weight called “Brazilian diet pills” that could contain damaging drugs that could result in serious side effects. Lab tests on several types of the Brazilian diet pills found high levels of Two of three owners of the controversial San Diego company Metabolife have agreed to provide assistance and information about the company’s illegal practices and the practices of the third owner, Michael Ellis. The company pleaded guilty on charges of... According to researchers, a study sponsored by the American Medical Association found when dogs were given ephedrine supplements , very dangerous effects were suffered. Often used as a decongestant, the ephedrine-containing supplements had little e... "Metabolife Ephedra Diet Drug Maker Pleads Guilty To Tax Evasion"
"Ephedrine study in dogs confirms supplements are deadly"