The FDA ban on ephedra has been struck down by a federal judge in case brought by Utah firm, Nutraceutical. Judge Tena Campbell's ruling returns the issue to the FDA "for further rulemaking consistent with the court's opinion" and keeps the agency from enforcement action against companies selling ephedra products.
The ban was initiated following the death of Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Steve Bechler, who was overweight and had a liver ailment. He consumed more than the recommended dosage of an ephedra-based weight-loss product on an empty stomach and then pitched on a hot afternoon in Florida. He died of heat stroke.
An additional 155 deaths (the high-end estimate) have been linked to ephedra during the past several years, most of which have been overdoses. As a way of putting this in perspective, nearly 500 people die each year from acetaminophen poisoning (that's Tylenol, by the way). Last time I checked, 300,000 people were expected to die this year from issues associated with being overweight.
The combination of ephedra and caffeine has been proven more effective (in double-blind, placebo-controlled studies) than any of the prescription weight-loss drugs available. In hundreds of studies, the combination has been proven safe for those who do not have health risks (high blood pressure, heart disease, thyroid disease, and a few other conditions). If you do not think the pharmaceutical industry lobbied hard for the ban, then you must not be paying attention.
This is one the courts have gotten right. Conservative, knee-jerk Republicans will no doubt see this as another example of the "radical judiciary" running over the law. Bad laws need to be thrown out.
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