"The
American Medical Association (AMA) applauds Secretary Thompson and
FDA Commissioner McClellan for recognizing that dietary supplements
containing ephedra are a serious threat to public health.
"The
new steps announced today represent real progress toward what we
hope will ultimately be a ban on ephedra dietary supplements in
the United States.
"Last
October, the AMA testified before Congress on the dangers of the
dietary supplement ephedra and urged the FDA to ban it. The risk/benefit
ratio for ephedra products is unacceptable.
"A
RAND study released by HHS today reviewed more than 16,000 adverse
events reports involving ephedra, including two deaths, four heart
attacks, nine strokes, one seizure, and five psychiatric cases.
"Because
dietary supplements are classified as foods under federal law, they
are assumed to be safe and are subject to limited regulatory oversight.
Dietary supplements containing ephedra have significant risks, which
may be serious or fatal to people with pre-existing illnesses as
well as those who were previously healthy. They should ultimately
be removed from the market."
