LOCAL HEALTH officials are warning the public against taking weight-loss products containing the herbal supplement Ephedra, noting that it has not been approved for use in Jamaica.
The warning comes following a report on Tuesday that the United States Food and Drug Administration has taken steps to ban the weight-loss aid, on the grounds that "it is unsafe and can cause heart attacks and stroke."
The FDA said Ephedra has been linked to 155 deaths and more than 16,500 complaints overseas, the report said.
Local health officials said in a statement on Tuesday that "the Health Ministry has a long standing policy never to approve Ephedra for use in Jamaica. Any product containing Ephedra that is submitted for registration in Jamaica has never been approved. However, the Inspectorate Branch of the Standards and Regulation Division has in the past found products containing Ephedra on the market and has always had them removed."
FIRST-TIME BAN
According to a Reuters report yesterday, it was the first time the FDA has banned a supplement. The U.S. agency also warned that dieters were likely to do more harm than good by taking Ephedra, which raises the metabolism.
Some high-profile deaths have been linked with Ephedra, which is also known as Ma Huang, including U.S. Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Steve Bechler, who died of heatstroke in Florida in February. The coroner said the baseball player's use of an Ephedra supplement contributed to his death.
The ban will become effective 60 days after the new rule is published, but the FDA gave no immediate date for publication, Reuters said.
According to Reuters, manufacturers of the supplement insist their product is safe, when taken as directed. But U.S. FDA and Health and Human Services Department officials have been saying for months that they would like to ban Ephedra and were building their case so there could be little dissent.
Both FDA commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan and health and human services secretary Tommy Thompson said they were expecting lawsuits over the ban and were prepared to defend their decision.
ILL-EFFECTS ON BODY
Other recent studies have also confirmed that Ephedra raises blood pressure and otherwise stresses the circulatory system, effects that have been conclusively linked to significant and substantial adverse health effects like heart problems and strokes.
In the meantime, some retailers such as NBTY Inc., CVS Corp. and General Nutrition Centers stopped selling Ephedra-based diet products this year.
Earlier this year, Metabolife, a privately held company based in San Diego that was a leading maker of supplements containing Ephedra, said it was removing Ephedra from its most popular diet pill.
Several medical groups welcomed the ban, including the American Medical Association (AMA).
"Dietary supplements containing Ephedra are a serious health threat, and this ban will lead to the removal of these products from supermarket and drugstore shelves nationwide," Dr. Ron Davis, an AMA trustee, said in a statement. "Seizure, stroke, psychiatric problems, heart attack and death are all recognised risks of Ephedra use," he added.
