WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 1999 -- The Food and Drug Administration is
warning consumers to avoid weight-loss products containing tiratricol,
saying it can cause complications ranging from diarrhea to heart
failure.
The substance is being marketed by
at least eight firms. One calls it "Triax Metabolic
Accelerator" and advertises it as a "hardcore fat loss
substance" that gets "incredible results."
Syntrax Innovations Inc. claims
that users of the substance have lost as much as 100 pounds with
"no adverse side effects." But the FDA said it knows of
at least two users who developed thyrooid abnormalities as a result of
using the substance.
The FDA does not have jurisdiction
over nutritional supplements but the agency said that Triax has "a
drug effect" on the body and is therefore subject to regulation.
It's estimated that at least
100,000 bottles of Triax have been sold over the Internet and at retail
stores.
But Syntrax Innovations was
defiant and called the FDA's charges "a blatant lie."
The Cape Girardeau, MO., company said it would continue to sell the
product, although Missouri state officials have temporarily blocked
further distribution.
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