The Universe is a funny place, full of bizarre coincidences. Like, for example, did you know that every single “dietary supplement” with an undeclared drug ingredient that we have covered in our When Supplements “Work”. . . feature so far has contained, among all the drugs in the world, a regulated drug that treats exactly the same condition that the supplement claims to treat? What are the odds?
This week we get a double whammy from EZVille, Ltd. EZVille, Ltd. has issued a recall of Revivexxx (one guess what that is supposed to “revive”) and Solo Slim. Revivexxx is a male sexual enhancement supplement (DSHEA code for treating erectile dysfunction), which was found to contain the erectile dysfunction pharmaceutical tadalafil (marketed using a series of creepy commericals under the brand name Cialis). Tadalafil is known to have potentially dangerous interactions with medications containing nitrates, such as those taken for heart disease. Solo Slim is a weight loss supplement, which was found to contain the appetite suppressant didesmethyl sibutramine. Sibutramine can increase blood pressure and heart rate putting individuals at risk for stroke and other cardiovascular issues at greater risk.
Individuals for whom tadalafil and sibutramine are not viable therapeutic options due to interacting medications or underlying medical issues may be more likely to seek out these alternative products to avoid side effects. The undeclared presence of these drugs in these supplements exposes these “at risk” individuals to these potentially dangerous side effects without their knowledge, unarguably a worse situation than if they had knowingly been prescribed these medications under the observation of a trained health care professional. Continue reading →
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Mike wrote about gene patents for Pacific Standard.
Michele has a guest post at Scientific American's Symbiartic blog.
