Health Officials Ask Stores To Yank Fat-Burning Supplement Linked To Liver Failure
Hawaii health officials are asking stores to stop selling the fat-burning supplment OxyElite Pro after an investigation linked it to cases of liver failure and acute hepatitis in 29 people. Two of those people had to undergo liver transplants and one has died, says the Hawaii State Department of Health.
Of all the people who fell ill, 24 said they’d taken the supplement before being diagnosed and there was no other substance in common, reports CNN.
Officials are still looking into the matter but have told people in the meantime to stop using the product. The United States Department of Agriculture and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are also working with the state on the investigation.
“Anyone who develops symptoms such as abdominal pain or discomfort, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and/or vomiting, and yellow skin or eyes should consult their doctor immediately,” Health Director Loretta Fuddy said in a statement.
USPlabs, the company that produces OxyElite Pro, says all of its products are safe but “out of an abundance of caution” it is ceasing domestic distribution of both OxyElite Pro (with a purple top) and OxyElite Pro Super Thermo Powder.
“The company continues to believe these versions are safe and are not the cause of the cluster of liver toxicity that has occurred in Hawaii,” USPlabs said in a statement.
The FDA says the company recently claimed that counterfeit versions of the supplement are popping up in the U.S., prompting investigators to try to figure out whether or not any fakes have contributed to the hepatitis cases.
Fat-burning supplement OxyElite pulled, linked to liver failure [CNN]
Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.