A diuretic, an antidepressant, and an unapproved stimulant are among the undeclared active drug ingredients identified in over-the-counter weight loss products, the Food and Drug Administration announced.
In a statement, the agency said that four ingredients—the antidepressant fluoxetine; the diuretic furosemide; fenproporex, an amphetamine derivative and controlled substance that is not approved in the United States; and cetilistat, a drug being studied for obesity in the United States and elsewhere—have been detected in OTC weight-loss products sold in the United States.
The illegal products are marketed as Herbal Xenicol, Slimbionic, and Xsvelten, and have been added to a list compiled by the FDA of OTC weight-loss products that have been found to contain undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients, which now includes 72 products. Previously identified ingredients include sibutramine, the active ingredient in the FDA-approved obesity drug Meridia; the antiepileptic drug phenytoin; and rimonabant, an obesity drug that was denied approval in the United States.
The products are sold on Web sites and in retail stores and beauty salons. Most appear to be manufactured in China, according to the FDA, which is working on getting these products recalled.
More information, including the full list of products, is available at www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/weight_loss_products.htmwww.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm