TWO WEIGHT loss products included in a health warning from the US government this week have been seized in Ireland in the past two years, it was confirmed yesterday.
The Irish Medicines Board (IMB) said two products among the 28 named by the US - Lida DaiDaihua and Slim 3 in 1 - were seized coming into the country in 2007 and 2008.
A spokeswoman said the IMB took action to have Lida DaiDaihua capsules removed from the market. They were being illegally supplied into the State from China by mail order.
"The products are unauthorised for the Irish market but the IMB are aware of them and advise people they should never purchase medicines on the internet," the spokeswoman said.
She said people could never be sure of the ingredients in medicines purchased over the internet and there was therefore a danger their contents could damage one's health.
Issuing a warning about nearly 30 weight loss products, including the two seized here, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said they contained unlisted and possibly dangerous ingredients including high doses of a powerful anti-obesity drug as well as a suspected carcinogen.
"When consumers are buying these products online, we're telling them that if it sounds too good to be true, it is likely to be too good to be true," said Michael Levy, an FDA lawyer.
FDA laboratory testing found 28 dietary supplements that could land unsuspecting users in hospital.
Most of the diet pills appear to have originated in China and they are sold mainly on the internet.
Nearly all the pills contain sibutramine, a powerful appetite suppressant that is a chemical cousin of amphetamines. It can cause heart attacks, strokes and heart palpitations, especially in people with a history of high blood pressure or heart problems.
Sibutramine is also the chemical ingredient in the prescription drug Meridia, which is used to treat obesity. But FDA testing found that some of the diet pills contain nearly three times the recommended daily dose.
Several of the pills contain phenolphthalein, a chemical long used as a laxative, but which is now being withdrawn from the market because of cancer risks. However these ingredients are not labelled.
The IMB said it issued an alert about the two products seized here on its website in July and September, warning that they should not be consumed by the public or supplied to the public due to serious safety concerns about them. The warnings were also sent to suppliers and retailers of traditional Chinese medicinal products and practitioners of traditional Chinese medicines.