July 14, 2016 — Dietary supplements containing a banned stimulant called oxilofrine or “methylsynephrine” remain widely available online despite FDA warnings in April.
The World Anti-Doping Agency and other major sports organizations have banned athletes from using oxilofrine. Its effects are similar to ephedrine, which was banned by the FDA in 2005.
In April, the FDA issued warning letters to seven companies selling oxilofrine-laced supplements.
Just a few days later, Harvard researcher Dr. Pieter Cohen published a study in Drug Testing and Analysis that found oxilofrine in 14 out of 27 supplements with “methylsynephrine” on the label. The highest-dose product had twice the usual adult dose and three times the usual adolescent dose, according to NPR.
Supplements containing oxilofrine include:
- HyperDrive® 3.0 (ALR industries)
- Shredder (TBN Total Body Nutrition)
- Fastin® (Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals)
- Lean Pills™ (Line One Nutrition)
- Tummy Tuck (TBN Total Body Nutrition)
- Methyl Drive™ 2.0 (ANS Advanced Nutrition Systems)
- Drop Factor™ (MTS Nutrition)
- Exile (AmericanMuscle Sports Nutrition Company)
- China White 25 Ephedra (Cloma Pharma Laboratories)
- Phenadrine™ (APS)
- And more
One unsurprising name of the list is Fastin® made by Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals. The company is a repeat offender for selling dietary supplements laced with illegal stimulants and has fought the FDA to keep their products on the market as long as possible.
In November 2013, the FDA seized $2 million worth of Hi-Tech supplements laced with the banned stimulant DMAA. That same month, Dr. Cohen found that Hi-Tech was selling several supplements laced with the stimulant BMPEA — Fastin-XR, Black Widow, Lipodrene Hardcore, Lipodrene Xtreme, Stimerex-ES, Yellow Scorpion.
The FDA cited Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals for selling BMPEA supplements in April 2015. The company did not receive warnings for oxilofrine in April 2016, and company spokesman Jared Wheat said the company is “not reformulating away from methylsynephrine.”
Do I have a Dietary Supplement Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting supplement induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with a severe side effect, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Dietary Supplement Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
