The Food and Drug Administration announced today that it was banning the manufacture and sale of ephedra, an herbal weight-loss supplement, because of its unreasonable risk of illness or injury.
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced at a news conference that the FDA has issued a consumer alert on the safety of dietary supplements containing ephedra and has notified manufacturers of its intent to publish a final rule on dietary supplements containing ephedra. The rule will state that dietary supplements containing ephedra present an unreasonable risk of illness or injury. The rule would have the effect of banning the sale of dietary supplements containing ephedra when it becomes effective, 60 days from today.
“FDA will publish a final rule as soon as possible that will formalize its conclusions that dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids present unreasonable risks to those who take them for any reason,” Secretary Thompson said. “Today’s action puts companies on notice of our intentions, and it tells consumers that the time to stop using ephedra products is now.”
What is Ephedra?
Ephedra, also called Ma huang, is a naturally occurring substance derived from botanicals. Its principal active ingredient is ephedrine, which when chemically synthesized is regulated as a drug. In recent years ephedra products have been extensively promoted for use to aid weight loss, enhance sports performance, and increase energy.
Today’s announcement is a continuation of a process that started in June, 1997 when FDA first proposed to require a statement on dietary supplements with ephedra warning that they are hazardous and should not be used for more than 7 days. FDA modified this proposed rule in 2000, and in February 2003 it announced a series of measures that included strong enforcement actions against firms making unsubstantiated claims for their ephedra-containing products.
(via FDA – MEDWATCH)
{ 3 comments }
I think that it is pathetic that the FDA can dictate what should be legal and what is illegal. Tobacco(cigarettes) causes lung cancer,emphysema, etc. I believe that is a legal. Alcohol causes cirrhosis,digestive diseases,mental impairment. I believe that is legal as well. If we ban one natural drug, should we not look at others. Even if it does impact “BIG BUSINESS”? LEAVE EPHEDRA ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!
i was taking metabolife w/ephedra for almost a yr. i wasn’t taking as much as it said to take i was only taking 1 a day. it did help me lose weight and i saw no side effects to it and i did tell my doctor i was using it. i wasn’t abusing the pills so i thought nothing could happen to me. since they are no longer selling it here i’ve been off it and yes i have gained some of my weight back but for the past 7 months i have been having heart problems. i am not overweight but i do have difficulty breathing and exercising w/out losing my breathe and feeling like i am going to faint. is this caused by taking the diet pills w/ephedra? i don’t know but i am very concerned. if you have any info please feel free to contact me
FDA are like Nazis. They are working on taking ALL vitamins and herbs/supplements away from us. I’m in chiropractic college, mom’s a pharmacist, dad’s a chiropractor….we keep track of this kind of thing. I won’t have to worry about it, because I’ll be able to prescribe it…..any of the rest of you should look into this and cause a ruckus, because if you don’t, you won’t be able to go to wal-mart and purchase vitamin C….I do love those multiflavored vitamin c’s!
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