Consumers Union Urges California to Ban Ephedra (May 2003).

State Ban Sought Following Weak Regulatory Action by FDA

SACRAMENTO, CA - Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports, listed its support this spring for a bill that would ban the sale of dietary supplements containing ephedra in California. CU's position followed a recent decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to simply require warning labels on the controversial supplements despite evidence that they pose a serious health risk. Consumers Union had urged the FDA to ban such products.

Ephedra is an herb used in dietary supplements sold as weight-loss aids and energy boosters that have been associated with serious health problems, including hypertension, irregular heartbeat, strokes and seizures. Some of those problems resulted in death or injury in previously healthy people.

"We believe there is ample evidence that ephedra poses an unacceptable risk to consumers and provides minimal benefits," said Elisa Odabashian, a Senior Policy Analyst with Consumers Union's West Coast Regional Office. "Given the FDA's foot dragging on this issue, it's time for state lawmakers to take action to ban the sale of ephedra within California."

The FDA proposed new warning labels for ephedra products that would list death, heart attacks, and stroke as possible side effects. California has already mandated such labels and has banned the sale of ephedra supplements to minors. Senator Jackie Speier, who has spearheaded efforts in California to regulate ephedra supplements, is carrying SB 582, the legislation to ban the products. Speier is also authoring a bill (SB 779) that would require manufacturers of dietary supplements to notify the California Department of Health Services each quarter of all adverse health reactions experienced by consumers.

From January 1993 through October 2000, the FDA received 1,398 reports of adverse events linked to herbal supplements containing ephedra, including 81 deaths, 32 heart attacks, 62 reports of cardiac arrhythmia, 91 reports of hypertension, 69 strokes, and 70 seizures. Complaints about herbal supplements containing ephedra constituted 42 percent of all dietary supplement complaints and 59 percent of all reported deaths.

"We are concerned that the FDA's weak response to this serious public health hazard puts the health and well-being of consumers at risk," said Odabashian. "We urge California lawmakers to protect consumers before more lives are endangered."