Weight Loss Products: Warning Expands

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FDA Warns About 72 Tainted Weight Loss Products

By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

March 20, 2009 -- The FDA today expanded its list of tainted weight loss products that consumers shouldn't buy or use.

In December, the FDA warned about more than 25 weight loss products that contain undeclared, active pharmaceutical ingredients that may be risky.

Now, that warning list includes 72 illegal weight loss products that the FDA wants consumers to avoid. Those products contain any of the following undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients:

• fenproporex -- a controlled substance not approved for marketing in the U.S.
• fluoxetine -- an antidepressant available by prescription only
• bumetanide -- a potent diuretic available by prescription only
• furosemide -- a potent diuretic available by prescription only
• rimonabant -- a drug not approved for marketing in the U.S.
• cetilistat -- an experimental obesity drug not approved for marketing in the U.S.
• phenytoin -- an antiseizure medication available by prescription only
• phenolphthalein -- a solution used in chemical experiments and a suspected cancer-causing agent that is not approved for marketing in the U.S.

The health risks posed by these products can be very serious and include high blood pressure, seizures, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), palpitations, heart attack, and stroke.

Sibutramine, a controlled substance, was found in many of these products at levels much higher than the maximum daily dosage for Meridia, the only FDA-approved drug product containing sibutramine. These higher levels of sibutramine can increase the incidence and severity of these health risks.

Fenproporex, another controlled substance, can cause arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm ) and possible sudden death.

Tainted Weight Loss Products

Here is the FDA's full list of all 72 tainted weight loss products:

• 2 Day Diet
• 2 Day Diet Slim Advance
• 2x Powerful Slimming
• 3 Day Diet
• 3 Days Fit
• 3x Slimming Power
• 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming
• 7 Day Herbal Slim
• 7 Days Diet
• 7 Diet
• 7 Diet Day/Night Formula
• 8 Factor Diet
• Eight Factor Diet
• 21 Double Slim
• 24 Hours Diet
• 999 Fitness Essence
• BioEmagrecim
• Body Creator
• Body Shaping
• Body Slimming
• Cosmo Slim
• Extrim Plus
• Extrim Plus 24 Hour Reburn
• Fasting Diet
• Fatloss Slimming
• GMP
• Herbal Xenicol
• Imelda Fat Reducer
• Imelda Perfect Slim
• JM Fat Reducer
• Lida DaiDaihua
• Meili
• Meizitang
• Miaozi MeiMiaoQianZiJiaoNang
• Miaozi Slim Capsules
• Natural Model
• Perfect Slim
• Perfect Slim 5x
• Perfect Slim Up
• Phyto Shape
• Powerful Slim
• ProSlim Plus
• Reduce Weihgt
• Royal Slimming Formula
• Sana Plus
• Slim 3 in 1
• Slim 3 in 1 Extra Slim Formula
• Slim 3 in 1 Extra Slim Waist Formula
• Slim 3 in 1 M18 Royal Diet
• Slim 3 in 1 Slim Formula
• Slim Burn
• Slim Express 4 in 1
• Slim Express 360
• Slim Fast (This product isn't related to the Slim-Fast line of meal replacement and related products.)
• Slim Tech
• Slim Up
• Slim Waist Formula
• Slim Waistline
• Slimbionic
• Sliminate
• Slimming Formula
• Somotrim
• Starcaps
• Super Fat Burner
• Superslim
• Super Slimming
• Trim 2 Plus
• Triple Slim
• Venom Hyperdrive 3.0
• Waist Strength Formula
• Xsvelten
• Zhen de Shou

SOURCE:
News release, FDA.
WebMD Health News: "FDA Warns of Risky Weight Loss Pills."
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