03.02.2011, 15:29 5006

Herbal weight loss pills cause serious side effects

MHRA agency in the UK warns people to stop using a weight loss pill sold over the internet and in Chinese medicine shops, the agency reports.

Almaty. February 3. Kazakhstan Today - MHRA agency in the UK warns people to stop using a weight loss pill sold over the internet and in Chinese medicine shops, the agency reports.

The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a warning about Herbal Flos Lonicerae (Herbal Xenicol), BBC reported.

Anyone taking the product should stop immediately and contact a doctor, it says.

The warning comes after reports of side effects such as palpitations, with one patient needing hospital treatment.

The capsules are thought to contain an as yet unknown pharmaceutical substance.

Tests are underway to establish the cause of the side effects.

By April this year, under a European directive, all manufactured herbal medicines will have to be registered under a new scheme to prove they meet safety and quality standards.

The scheme is known as the Traditional Herbal Registration (THR).

Richard Woodfield, head of herbal medicines policy at the MHRA, said: "Since 2005, the MHRA has found over 280 examples where so-called 'herbal' or 'natural' products have been adulterated with random quantities of powerful pharmaceutical substances. Such products pose a real risk to the public.

This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.

Found an error in the text?

Select the error and press Ctrl + Enter at the same time.

relevant news

Most viewed