Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Americans should immediately stop using a chemical mix masquerading as a dietary supplement that was blamed for poisoning the livers of at least six people, the government warned Tuesday.
The victims, ages 20 to 32, suffered liver failure or acute hepatitis after taking Lipokinetix for two weeks to three months, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.
Lipokinetix, widely sold on Internet bodybuilding and weight-loss sites, is believed to contain a drug banned a year ago, a potent thyroid hormone.
The FDA urged that anyone who has used Lipokinetix call a doctor if they have any of the following symptoms: nausea, weakness or fatigue, fever, abdominal pain or any change in skin color.
Underlying the urgency of the Lipokinetix investigation, the FDA asked thousands of health care providers Tuesday to review medical records for cases of unexplained hepatitis — liver injury — that might be linked to dietary supplements.
Doctors are not required to report suspicious side effects to the government — and studies show most don’t — so it can take the FDA months, even years, to determine if a substance is dangerous. A 1994 law exempts dietary supplements from most federal regulation, forcing the FDA to prove a supplement is dangerous before taking any action against it.
In other health news Tuesday:
Such cycles are common in women with a hormonal disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome, which previous research has linked to diabetes.
Lead researcher Dr. Caren Solomon of Harvard University’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital said the study underscores the need for women and doctors to recognize "that these menstrual cycle characteristics are potentially a marker for other metabolic changes," such as polycystic ovary syndrome and diabetes, she said.
Women with infrequent or very irregular periods — those at least 40 days apart or too erratic to predict — should be evaluated for the hormone disorder and if it’s diagnosed, should also be tested for diabetes, Solomon said.
Tracleer becomes the first oral medication to treat pulmonary hypertension.
Today’s only treatment forces patients to wear for life a battery-powered pump that infuses a medication through a permanently implanted tube in the chest.
Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
