Army to Conduct DMAA Safety Review

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U.S. Army soldiers will be test subjects in the first government-funded study into the side effects of 1,3-dimethylamylamine (DMAA), a controversial ingredient in many popular dietary supplements. The research will be aimed at determining whether there is a link between the substance and reports of dangerous health conditions. DMAA has been associated with a number of serious side effects including seizures, heart injuries, kidney and liver failure, and death.

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.

Dietary Supplement Update 4/10/12: Less than a third of active soldiers discuss dietary supplement use with their doctors prior to taking them, according to a new study about drug use by military service members. Many of these individuals don’t consider the use of supplements to affect medications. However, when taken simultaneously, prescription drugs and dietary supplements can significantly increase a person’s risk of potentially life-threatening side effects. 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.

DMAA Update 3/6/12: Dietary supplements containing 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. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 3/5/12: A new study has concluded that geranium oils do not contain the stimulant dimethylamylamine (DMAA), an ingredient in a number of best-selling dietary supplements. The new research once again questions an antiquated study often cited by pre-workout and weight loss supplement companies who market DMAA-containing products. Click here to learn more.

Free DMAA Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has suffered an injury you feel may have been caused by a dietary supplement containing 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?

March 3, 2012 – Military officials at the Army Public Health Command are currently in the process of identifying participants for a first-of-its-kind case control study on the health effects associated with the consumption of DMAA. The move comes after two soldiers with DMAA in their systems died last year during routine physical exercises.

“We are in the process of identifying potential Army participants and (we) are still finalizing study procedures,” according to a statement released by the command.

The study is expected to be concluded by the end of the summer, and will be released pending a comprehensive analysis by the Army and Department of Defense (DoD). In the meantime, the Army will be combing through health records from all branches of the military and conducting followups with patients and providers.

The regulatory status and safety of DMAA has recently been challenged by Health Canada. There has been an ongoing debate about whether the substance, which was first synthesized by Eli Lilly in the 1940’s, is a constituent of geranium, with the consensus growing that it is not. Health Canada issued a statement claiming that DMAA is not naturally found in geranium, and that any products containing it should require drug authorization. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to rule on the safety and efficacy of DMAA, while various trade groups are conducting independent research on their own.

Side Effects of DMAA

DMAA has been linked to the following serious side effects:

• Hyperthermia
• Irregular heartbeat
• Seizures
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Liver damage or liver failure
• Kidney damage or kidney failure
• Psychiatric side effects
• Elevated blood pressure
• Sudden cardiac death

Other, less severe side effects associated with DMAA include:

• Skin reactions
• Irritability
• Nervousness
• Dizziness
• Trembling
• Headache
• Insomnia
• Profuse perspiration
• Dehydration
• Itchy scalp and skin

To date, DMAA-containing dietary supplements have been the subject of several proposed class action lawsuits. In November 2011, Florida’s BPI Sports was hit with a proposed class action in California, and a similar complaint was filed against USPLabs in January 2012. The suit alleges that OxyElite Pro and Jack3d contain DMAA in a “synthetic form that is both illegal and dangerous.”

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 an injury you feel may have been caused by DMAA, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a DMAA injury suit and we can help.