Recently, the Bush administration, together with the FDA, has banned the sale and use of the herbal dietary supplement for losing weight Ephedra because of its negative health effects. It seems that this decision of the authorities will be challenged in court by the producers of the product, despite the fact that the FDA has data that not so long ago, one professional baseball player died from taking this particular additive. The state ban on this drug was made after Congress revised the legislation that controls food additives and products and obliged manufacturers to indicate on the packaging possible side effects.

According to official figures, the current Ephedra additive is to blame for more than 100 deaths. Congress has collected all claims and complaints from relatives and families of the victims from the side effects of the potion. Among those who applied for justice were the parents of a rather famous pitcher (a kind of player in baseball) one of the leading American teams. Their son died during the spring training - he tried to lose weight. Toxicologists have discovered the drug Ephedra in his body.

Executives of several companies that produce ephedra-based drugs say that the substance has successfully passed a number of clinical trials and, if properly applied, is absolutely safe. "Everyone who tried our products, reading long instructions, was convinced that we care about our customers and about the correct application of products," states the head of Metabolife International, a manufacturing additive. "On the packaging, we clearly state that the drug can not be sold and used in children and adolescents, and that people with certain identified diseases should consult a doctor before applying the supplement".

Many scientists say that in the studies conducted to prove the safety of this drug was impossible, since it is not clear that the diseases detected in the participants of the experiment were before or that the result of the application.

The staff of the special investigation unit at the Congress revealed that the complaints were filed even by those who strictly followed the instructions.

In 1997, the FDA obliged to make a warning on the labels of products containing ephedra on dose limitation, but then at the request of producers and Congress this requirement was lifted. In 2001, the National League of American Football banned the use of drugs containing this substance as a food supplement for its athletes.

Medicus. En.

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