Very Interesting excerpts from an article about the upcoming ban

January 13, 2004

I grabbed a few interesting paragraphs from a WebMD article. The last

two paragraphs are particularly poignant. It is very, very telling of what the

real intent of the FDA is.

The FDA admits there is no definitive proof that ephedra caused Bechler's

death or any other serious injury. But lots of circumstantial evidence links the

herb to death and injury. And there's no proof that it has any meaningful

health benefits. In the end, said FDA Commissioner Mark B. McClellan, MD, PhD,

the

FDA found that the " risk/benefit calculation " for ephedra tilts decidedly

toward unreasonable risk.

The FDA is not taking action on over-the-counter cold remedies that contain

ephedrine-like drugs. That's because these products are properly labeled and

are for short-term use only.

If they succeed, they say, it will create a " framework " that can be used to

go after other dietary supplements deemed harmful.

The drug supplement industry is very happy with the 1994 law. It already

gives the FDA the power it needs to regulate harmful herbs like ephedra, Annette

Dickinson, PhD, told WebMD in a previous interview. Dickinson is president of

the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade association of dietary

supplement manufacturers and the acting industry representative on the FDA's

food

advisory subcommittee.

******* " We are glad to see the FDA taking action against unsubstantiated

claims, and we are glad to see Commissioner McClellan grapple with the ephedra

issue, " Dickinson told WebMD. " If the FDA can deal with that, it goes a long way

to show that even in the most controversial situation the law gives the FDA

authority to act. " *******

Thompson today said that he'd like to see the law amended to force

manufacturers to hand over to the FDA any reports of adverse events linked to

their

products. But he says that the ban on ephedra is in full compliance with the law

as it now exists.

Chris says, " If you would like to read the full article, the link is

below " .

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