July 25, 2003 – Ephedra, this controversial dietary supplement, is more than ever in the sights of US lawmakers.
As a first step, a congressional committee earlier this week conducted two days of public hearings regarding the safety of the product and heard several testimonies. A former employee of Metabolife International, a major manufacturer of ephedra, notably came to say that while working for the company, she received up to ten calls a day from customers who appeared to be having an effect on ephedra. unwanted and potentially dangerous, such as tachycardia, even if they followed the package directions.
Consumer representatives, who have included relatives of people who have died after taking ephedra, among others, have called for the product to only be available by prescription, a suggestion politicians have greeted with reservations. For their part, industry representatives said they had nothing to be ashamed of and said their claims about the product are backed by solid scientific evidence.
In this regard, despite the skepticism of some legislators, they received a modest boost when three independent experts commissioned by the Food and Drug Administration testified that the scientific studies on ephedra were conducted in a serious and competent manner, but that it is impossible to draw conclusions about the harmlessness of a product consumed by millions of people (see the articles of PasseportSanté.net on this subject, dated November 14, 2001, April 14, 2003 and May 1, 2003).
For its part, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched a prosecution of companies that dishonestly promote ephedra. Two companies have agreed to pay a fine of more than 400,000 US dollars after claiming that ephedra was a completely safe product that allowed you to lose weight without physical exercise and without changing your eating habits. The FTC is now trying to get two other companies convicted of making similar claims.
Finally, the drugstore chain CVS, the second largest in the United States, announced that it was removing all ephedra-based dietary supplements from its shelves, emulating the example set by natural products giant GNC plus early this year. In May, New York City for its part announced that it was banning all sales of ephedra in its territory, except by prescription from a doctor.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
According to CNN.com, New York Times, CBSNews.com and Reuters; July 1, 11, 23 and 24, 2003.
