The Food and Drug Administration urged consumers to immediately stop using the recalled products, which are made by Iovate Health Sciences Inc and marketed for weight loss, boosting energy and other uses.
"The FDA urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risk. Adverse events are rare, but exist," said Dr. Linda Katz, interim chief medical officer in the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. The agency has received 23 reports of liver problems ranging from jaundice to damage that required a liver transplant, Katz said. One person died.
The company agreed to voluntarily pull the 14 products even though the FDA has not seen reports of serious harm with all of them, Katz said. Agency officials are investigating which doses and ingredients may be harmful, she said.
Two products with different ingredients, Hydroxycut Cleanse and Hoodia, were not included in the recall. The recalled products contain a variety of ingredients including herbal extracts. They are sold as dietary supplements, which do not require the evidence of safety and effectiveness needed for medicines before they can be sold.
Critics say supplements need more oversight.
A 2007 law required manufacturers to turn over reports of problems with consumers, helping the FDA better monitor potential side effects, agency officials said.
"These reports are vital in helping FDA identify unsafe dietary supplements," said Vasilios Frankos, head of the FDA's Division of Dietary Supplement Programs. People who took the recalled products should consult a doctor if they have symptoms of liver injury such as nausea, vomiting, light-colored stools, excessive fatigue, weakness, stomach pain, itching or loss of appetite, the FDA said.
If you are injured as a result of using a defective product, you may be entitled to compensation from the supplier or manufacturer of the product. Companies sometimes fail to invest the proper focus and time to safely and successfully manufacture reliable consumer goods. As such, quality often suffers, safety regulations are not adhered to, and innocent consumers bear the consequences. Recently, strict legislation has been passed in order to further protect the rights of consumers against defective and dangerous products.
For advice on defective product litigation in the UK, go to InjuryLawyers4U.co.uk
