Justin Lee
14, October 2013
Prof. Nayyar - BIO 100
Current Event #2
OxyELITE Pro Now Illegal to sell in Hawaii The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) have opened an investigation into the dietary supplements OxyELITE Pro. Due to the growing number of acute non-viral hepatitis and liver failure in Hawaii, all dietary supplements labeled as OxyELITE Pro and VERSA-1, have consequetly been removed from shelves. So far, there have been twenty nine reported cases of acute non-viral hepatitis with an unknown cause identified. The DOH has confirmed that twenty four of these cases share a connecting link to the dietary supplement known as OxyElite Pro. Currently, eleven of the twenty nine cases have been hospitalized with acute hepatitis. Two of the eleven cases have received liver transplants, and one person has died. The FDA is advising consumers to discontinue the use of any dietary supplement products labeled as Oxy Elite Pro, and VERSA-1, until the investigation closes. OxyElite Pro and VERSA-1 are distributed by USP Labs LLC of Dallas, Texas. They are sold nationwide, through an extensive range of distribution networks. USP Labs products can be founds on the internet, as well as retail outlets that sell dietary supplements. Last week, the FDA sent a warning letter to USPlabs saying its OxyElite Pro supplement contained 2 ingredients, aegeline and methylhexanamine, that has no prior history in dietary supplements, and has not been properly tested for safety. Methylhexanamine, also known as DMAA, 3-dimethylamylamine, or geranium extract, is an amphetamine derivative ingredient found illegally in some dietary supplements and often marketed as a “natural” stimulant. The supplement industry claimed it was a natural flower extract that could be used