FDA seizes supplements containing withdrawn Meridia API

The FDA has been aggressively pursuing supplement companies whose products contain undeclared APIs. When they refuse to cooperate, the agency is not shy about just shutting them down. Last week, the FDA sent federal marshals into Globe All Wellness in Hollywood, FL, where they seized products that contained sibutramine hydrochloride (sibutramine), the active ingredient in the obesity drug Meridia. In December 2010, the agency pointed out, Meridia was withdrawn from the U.S. market after clinical data demonstrated it increased the risk of heart attack and stroke. Globe had also been making the kinds of claims that can only be used about prescription drugs, like that some of its products could lower blood pressure and cholesterol. "Companies that distribute products containing undisclosed drugs are not only breaking the law, they are putting consumers at risk," Howard Sklamberg, director of the Office of Compliance at CDER, said. Several times last year, the agency sent marshals to seize products at other supplement manufacturers and distributors around the country. Release | More