BFAD orders recall of risky Hydroxycut weight-loss goods

MANILA, Philippines – If you have Hydroxycut weight-loss products in your house, you should stop using them and demand a refund from the store where you bought them. The advice comes from the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD), which has recently ordered a recall of all Hydroxycut products from the local market due to health concerns. In BFAD Advisory No. 2009-005, BFAD Director Leticia Barbara Gutierrez ordered General Nutrition Center (GNC), the Philippine importer of Hydroxycut 1000 mg, whose ingredients include of hydroxagen, chromium picolinate, and L-carnitine, to immediately pull out the products from the market. Gutierrez said the popular weight loss products had been ordered recalled from the US market earlier by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) due to reported cases of serious liver problems, such as jaundice and elevated liver enzymes. [A story about the US FDA recall was posted last May 1 on the CNN Web site – "Stop using Hydroxycut products, FDA says".] Manufactured by Iovate Health Sciences Inc. of Oakville, Ontario, in Canada, Hydroxycut contains a variety of ingredients and herbal extracts. It is registered with the BFAD as a food supplement. Gutierrez asked the public, local government units, and consumer groups to report to the BFAD or nearest Center for Health Development any establishment, group or individual selling the banned products. Compliance The advisory was dated May 6, 2009 and posted on the BFAD Web site on May 25, 2009, but the link appeared to have become active only recently. Nonetheless, a random check by GMANews.TV with some GNC outlets in Metro Manila and other key cities showed that Hydroxycut products have been off their shelves since May. The GNC branches include those in Rustan’s Shangri-la (Pasig City), Robinsons Galleria (Quezon City), Trinoma Mall (Quezon City), Powerplant Mall (Makati City), SM City Baguio, SM City Iloilo and SM City Davao. Daisy Carriaga, store personnel of GNC’s Robinsons Galleria branch, told GMANews.TV in a phone interview that there was a nationwide pullout of the Hydroxycut products. US FDA advisory In a consumer advisory on May 1, 2009, the US FDA said it has received 23 reports over more than seven years about consumers having experienced serious liver-related problems coinciding with the time they were taking Hydroxycut-branded products. “Although the liver damage appears to be relatively rare, FDA believes consumers should not be exposed to unnecessary risk," it said. Iovate Health Sciences Inc., the manufacturer, said in its website that while its own analysis was different from the FDA’s findings, it had “initiated a voluntary recall." “While this is a small number of reports relative to the many millions of people who have used Hydroxycut products over the years, out of an abundance of caution and because consumer safety is our top priority, we are voluntarily recalling these Hydroxycut-branded products," it said. The manufacturer said the voluntary recall covered the following products: • Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets • Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets • Hydroxycut Hardcore Liquid Capsules • Hydroxycut Max Liquid Capsules • Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets • Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Drink Packets • Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix) • Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets • Hydroxycut Liquid Shots • Hydroxycut Hardcore RTDs (Ready-to-Drink) • Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed • Hydroxycut 24 • Hydroxycut Carb Control • Hydroxycut Natural - GMANews.TV