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NEWS FROM
CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE
December 23, 2008
Dangerous Diet Pills from Brazil Pose Health Threat in U.S.
New Report from Harvard Medical School Researcher at Cambridge
Health Alliance Documents Adverse Effects of Imported Diet Pills
Somerville, MA…Despite warnings from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, dangerous prescription diet pills from Brazil are
actively circulated in the United States. A new report analyzes
their contents and suggests that the medical consequences of these
imported amphetamine-based diet pills might be greater than previously
recognized.
The report, issued today by the Journal of General Internal
Medicine (JGIM), presents two cases that illustrate the potential
harm of the illicit diet pills. The pills are commonly prescribed
in Brazil and contain a dangerous mixture of medications including
amphetamines, tranquilizers, antidepressants, laxatives, and water
pills. One patient visited multiple physicians over a two-year period
for symptoms ascribed to the imported diet pills, while the other,
a municipal truck driver, was suspended from work when he tested
positive for amphetamine on a routine occupational drug screen.
Analyses of the pills revealed multiple medications which did not
correspond to the labels on pill bottles.
Fenproporex, the amphetamine in these pills, is not legally available
in the United States. Yet fenproporex remains widely prescribed
in some parts of the world and is available in the U.S. over the
Internet as well as through other illicit channels. The JGIM report
reviews the lack of safety data for fenproporex and outlines the
numerous potential health risks, including addiction, depression,
and stroke.
Author Dr. Pieter Cohen, an internist at Cambridge Health Alliance
and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, became
concerned about the pills' use when he noticed that many patients
were experiencing unexplained chest pain, tremors, and anxiety.
Eventually, some of these patients confided that they were using
imported diet pills. "Since the pills are prescribed by physicians,
some people assume they must be safe," said Dr. Cohen. "In
fact, since the labels are misleading, people have no idea what
dangerous cocktail of medications they are actually using."
Dr. Cohen is hopeful that the analyses of the diet pills' composition
will provide a better understanding of their potential risks: "Increasing
physicians' awareness of the danger and prevalence of the imported
diet pills may improve care of patients suffering from the pills'
many adverse effects."
Cambridge Health Alliance is an innovative, award-winning
health system that provides high quality care in Cambridge, Somerville,
and Boston's metro-north communities. It includes three hospital
campuses, more than 20 primary care and specialty practices, the
Cambridge Public Health Dept., and the Network Health plan. CHA
is a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate and is also affiliated
with Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine,
and Tufts University School of Medicine. Visit us online at www.challiance.org.
"Imported Fenproporex-based Diet Pills from Brazil: A Report
of Two Cases" published by the Journal of General Internal
Medicine. E-publication ahead of print. Author: Pieter A. Cohen.
Cambridge Health Alliance is an innovative, award-winning
health system that provides high quality care in Cambridge, Somerville,
and Boston's metro-north communities. It includes three hospital
campuses, more than 20 primary care and specialty practices, the
Cambridge Public Health Dept., and the Network Health plan. CHA
is a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate and is also affiliated
with Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine,
and Tufts University School of Medicine.
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Media Contact
David Cecere
Media Relations Manager
Phone: 617-503-8428
Cell: 617-921-9613
Pager: 617-546-1879
dcecere@challiance.org
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