UK Cracks Down on DMAA

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Dietary supplements containing the controversial stimulant dimethylamylamine (DMAA) are being stripped from retail shelves and online catalogues in the UK as part of a crackdown on supplement makers by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). To date, the agency has ordered several companies to stop selling DMAA-containing pre-workout supplements like Jack3d, OxyElite Pro, and Hemo Rage Black. The MHRA’s move makes it the first European member state agency to take action against the much-publicized stimulant.

DMAA Update 7/16/12: Researchers from the University of Texas, Arlington, recently tested and compared a number of DMAA-containing dietary supplements against commercially available geranium extracts, and detected no presence of the controversial substance in the geranium samples. The source of DMAA is a hot button issue as of late, because it could ultimately determine the outcome of a string of class action lawsuits filed against DMAA manufacturers and distributors. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 6/20/12: This week, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) warned Australians not to consume dietary supplements containing the controversial ingredient dimethylamylamine (DMAA). The Australian Federal Department of Health and Ageing and the Advisory Committee on Medicines Scheduling are considering a ban on the substance, and are set to meet at the end of the month when the problem will be ‘urgently discussed.’ Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 5/14/12: Despite a recent FDA crackdown on DMAA-containing bodybuilding products, the Army will continue its research into the effects of the controversial dietary supplement ingredient. According to a Department of Defense (DOD) spokesperson, the military has an ‘intense interest’ in the results of the Army Public Health Command’s ongoing research on DMAA. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 5/8/12: Ten days after the FDA sent letters to a number of dietary supplement manufacturers requesting safety information on their DMAA-containing products, Harvard researcher Dr. Pieter Cohen is calling for an outright nationwide ban on the controversial ingredient. “The main message about DMAA is that it should be avoided,” says Cohen, who is an internist at Cambridge Health Alliance and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “This ingredient should never have been in supplements in first place.” Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 5/7/12: As DMAA’s future regulatory status appears bleak, dietary supplement manufacturers are scrambling to come up with effective alternatives. But the question remains, will DMAA’s replacement be safe to use as directed, or something just as controversial? Click here to learn more.

DMAA Lawsuit Update 5/4/12: Four DMAA supplement manufacturers who received warning letters from the FDA late last month have been slapped with class action lawsuits alleging their products are ‘illegal and dangerous.’ The litigation process will be watched closely, as the cases center around a hotly-debated point of contention regarding new dietary ingredients (NDIs): that synthetic versions of botanical derivatives are not classified as dietary ingredients, and are therefore not permitted for use in supplement products. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 4/27/12: The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) today sent warning letters to 10 manufacturers and distributors of DMAA-containing dietary supplements for marketing products whose safety has not been proven. Specifically, the FDA’s letters accuse the companies of marketing products for which a notification has not been submitted for the use of DMAA as a New Dietary Supplement (NDI). Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 3/9/12: DMAA is to be banned in New Zealand after numerous reports of serious side effects and at least one stroke. It is the first substance other than a synthetic cannabinoid to be banned in New Zealand using the Temporary Class Drug Notices, and is scheduled to be completely off the country’s store shelves by early next month. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 3/7/12: Drugmakers and retailers that deal in dietary supplements containing DMAA are coming under increased scrutiny as questions of source and safety mount. The central issue currently causing the most debate about DMAA is the question of whether the stimulant is – as many supplement companies content – derived from the geranium plant, or whether it is a synthetically manufactured compound. Click here to learn more.

Free DMAA Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury after taking a dietary supplement that contained DMAA, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a suit against the manufacturer of the dietary supplement and we can help.

What’s the problem?

In addition to cracking down on supplements containing DMAA, the MHRA is targeting a whole range of products not carrying registrations under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (THMPD).

“The MHRA is looking at a number of companies selling a variety of products marketed as sports supplements but which may turn out to be medicines,” a spokesperson said.

European Union food law expert Luca Bucchini applauded the MHRA’s action, noting the fact that DMAA is not registered as a medicine or novel food in the UK.

“There has been a growing concern that lack of enforcement of EU food safety law in the UK is undermining the single market, as illegal products flow to the rest of the EU,” he said. “Perhaps, as several member states recently suggested, we should have a free trade agreement with the US, and it should include dietary supplements as well. However, till that day, it is necessary that, for the benefit of consumers and for the integrity of the single market, rules are enforced.”

“With the Olympic games approaching, and the damage that DMAA has done to athletes and to sports nutrition, wise decisions are necessary – for the sake of all parties involved.”

The controversy surrounding DMAA is focused on two separate factors: Potential links to the deaths of two US soldiers, and whether DMAA is synthetically manufactured or derived from geranium root.

Do You Have a DMAA Lawsuit?

The Product Liability & Defective Drug Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in DMAA lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new seizure, heart injury, kidney failure, liver failure, and death cases in all 50 states.

Free DMAA Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury after taking a dietary supplement containing DMAA, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a DMAA injury suit and we can help.