Recently in pharma news, the U.S. Dept. of Justice announced that many dietary supplements are a danger to health; in fact, more than 100 manufacturers make these workout and dietary supplements that are supposedly manufactured using natural plant extracts, while containing synthetic stimulants that can seriously compromise health, according to news reports. Many of these allegedly “natural” supplements contain synthetic stimulants, a real risk to health.
The FDA and FBI are investigating supplements including OxyElitePro and JACK3D for false advertising. Dietitians say these supplements, among many others are making false guarantees, and that many consumers aren’t familiar with the ingredients in the supplements they are taking. Both of the products mentioned above are reported to contain stimulants such as DMAA, which are similar to amphetamine; the ingredient in these products is Dimethylamine. Experts say that consumers should not take supplements containing ingredients they are not familiar with, or cannot pronounce. Some of the health risks include liver damage, heart palpitations, and more.
On Wednesday November 17, the FDA announced in conjunction with other government agencies that civil and criminal action had been taken against nearly 120 manufacturers after a yearlong sweep revealed many of the supplements were unsafe for consumers, or tainted. Among the agencies involved in the investigation were the Federal Trade Commission, the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Dept. of Justice, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the FDA, according to an FDA press release.
Most prominent in the news was the 11-count indictment against USPlabs, a Dallas, TX based company that in the past manufactured weight loss and workout supplements that were hugely popular. S.K. Laboratories, Inc. was also named in the indictment. Essentially, it seems that ingredients were imported from China for manufacturing supplements, those ingredients using false certificates of analysis and false labeling. The source and nature of the ingredients used in the manufacturing of the supplements was not truthful, according to the press release. USPlabs also allegedly did not know whether the supplements they were promoting were safe for consumer use.
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