FDA warnings aren’t stopping illicit weight-loss supplements

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There aren't enough warning letters from the FDA to stop the sale of potentially dangerous weight loss supplements.

There is a regulatory grey area in the US. The FDA is still responsible for overseeing the supplements that are sold in the country even though they don't have to be reviewed. The ingredients that are part of a person's diet are what make a product a dietary supplement.

The FDA can issue warning letters to companies if they make supplements that aren't in line with the rules. The agency has warned companies about the dangers of making weight-loss supplements that contain amphetamine-like substances. The compounds are linked to strokes.

The study found that strongly worded letters aren't always enough to keep questionable products off the shelves. There were 31 letters issued by the FDA to products with stimulants in the last three years. Nine of the products were still on the market at the beginning of the year. The authors used a chemical analysis to find that five of the nine products contained banned ingredients.

This isn't the first time researchers have found supplement makers avoiding warnings.

It is not clear if the prohibited ingredients are in every batches of the supplements that make it to the market. It is not clear if the same pattern would hold for other types of supplements. They wrote that the FDA should consider ways to ensure that banned drugs are removed from supplements.