The pharmaceutical liability lawyers at BISNAR | CHASE have been extremely concerned about the adverse side effects caused by dietary supplement Hydroxycut. Government health officials in May sent out strong warnings to dieters and body builders to immediately stop using Hydroxycut, a widely sold dietary supplement linked to at least one death and several cases of liver damage. Now, the American Journal of Gastroenterology is confirming fears about the serious side effects of Hydroxycut. A recent study published in the journal confirms links between this herbal weight loss supplement and liver problems.

Drug Recall

Iovate Health Sciences Research, which manufactured the dietary supplement, withdrew the product in May, but reintroduced it a few months later with a revised formulation. The researchers found Hydroxycut was linked to acute liver failure and death after they analyzed 17 cases. The research team at UCLA determined that it was 95 percent likely that the supplements, which sold 9 million units in 2008, were to blame for the liver toxicity problems experienced by those who took them. The most common symptoms included jaundice, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet identified the exact ingredient that caused liver toxicity in consumers. Iovate said it would review the ingredients in the supplement, but still has not published any findings. The company meanwhile faces a slew of personal injury lawsuits as a result of these drug effects.

Product Liability Issues

With Hydroxycut, the issue is also one of possibly deceptive marketing. The supplement was advertised as “made with natural ingredients.” The assumption on the part of consumers then is that there are minimal or no side effects. However, that was not true. As personal injury lawyers who have successfully represented victims of defective drugs including Vioxx, Celebrex, Zyprexa, Ephedrine, Bectra, Crestor and Paxil, we know that drug manufacturers use deceptive marketing as a tool to sell harmful drugs.

If you or a loved one has suffered serious or fatal liver damage or other serious side effects as a result of using Hydroxycut, please consult with a nationally renowned personal injury law firm with experience fighting and winning cases against large drug companies and corporations.