Tampa Weight Loss Doctor Shares List of Tainted Products

As a Tampa Weight Loss Doctor who believes in behavioral modification, diet and exercise combined with weight loss medications when necessary, I feel it important to share this information from WebMD on various weight loss product warnings.

FDA Expands List of Tainted Weight-Loss Products
Heartwire — a professional news service of WebMD
Michael O'Riordan
January 16, 2009 (Rockville, Maryland) — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded a warning about tainted weight-loss products that contain undeclared, active pharmaceutical ingredients, some of which can cause important cardiovascular side effects. The FDA analysis found that these products contained sibutramine, phenytoin, phenolphthalein, and bumetanide.
One product, known as Phyto Shape, even contained rimonabant, the cannabinoid-receptor blocker that has been linked to neurological and psychiatric side effects. In 2007, an FDA advisory committee unanimously said no to rimonabant, and Sanofi-Aventis, the maker of rimonabant, eventually halted all clinical research with the weight-loss drug.
The expanded list ups the number of contaminated weight-loss products from 28 to 69. The original advisory was issued December 22, 2008. According to an FDA press release, the agency has inspected some companies associated with the sale of these illegal products and is currently seeking product recalls. Additional enforcement steps, such as warning letters, initiating seizures, injunctions, or criminal charges, are also possible.
The weight-loss products are often marketed as dietary supplements and said to contain only natural or herbal ingredients. Some of the tainted weight-loss products include Extrim Plus 24 Hour Reburn, Body Creator, and Body Slimming, which contain sibutramine, and 24-Hours Diet, which contains phenolphthalein.
Sibutramine, a prescription drug to treat obesity, may cause tachycardia, palpitations, hypertension, stroke, MI, and seizures. Phenytoin is an approved antiseizure medication, and bumetanide a diuretic. Phenolphthalein was an ingredient in some over-the-counter laxative products until the FDA reclassified the drug as "not generally recognized as safe and effective." It has also been shown to be potentially carcinogenic.

Visit http://myhealthyweightsolution.com for additional information on weight loss or if you are
in the Tampa area and would like to personally stop by Dr. Northrup's weight loss clinic, we would be happy to provide you with an appointment.

Food and Drug Administration. FDA expands warning to consumers about tainted weight loss pills. January 8, 2008. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01933.html.
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