FDA Warns Seven Dietary Supplement Makers About Illegal Ingredient

The FDA has sent warning letters to companies whose dietary supplement products contain alarming levels of an illegal drug chemically similar to the banned heart stimulant ephedrine. The letters were sent in March to seven companies selling products containing ethylsynephrine (also known as oxilofrine). A study published in a scientific journal in April reported that an analysis of 27 brands of over-the-counter dietary supplements found that 14 contained the unapproved stimulant. Supplements containing oxilofrine were linked to 26 health emergencies in The Netherlands, including nausea and vomiting, chest pain and cardiac arrest. Oxilofrine is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency and most major sports organizations.