Warning against unauthorised weight-loss medicine in juice, tea, coffee, etc.
In the past year, the Danish Medicines Agency has noted an increase in unauthorised products that contain the active substance sibutramine.
It is included in a variety of products such as tea, coffee, milkshake and juice. Often, there is no way of telling from the products that they contain sibutramine.
Risk of serious side effects from sibutramine
Sibutramine affects the signals in the brain, suppressing appetite. The adverse reactions from sibutramine could turn out to be serious and may show as a faster heart rate, hypertension, hot flush, constipation, nausea, trouble sleeping, headache, anxiety, perspiration and taste perversion.
The Danish Medicines Agency and other European regulatory authorities have found more than 40 different products with undeclared sibutramine in 2011 alone.
Sibutramine is an active substance used to reduce weight. Previously, it was authorised in medicines for treatment of obesity.
But in January 2010, all sibutramine-containing products were suspended from the European market on the basis of a risk assessment from the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The risk assessment showed that the risk of cardiovascular diseases outweighed the health benefits of weight loss from sibutramine.
Sibutramine is concealed in weight-loss products
The information that the Danish Medicines Agency has received from other European drug regulatory authorities and from our own analyses show that on the internet, for example, many weight-loss products containing sibutramine are sold, but with no declaration on the package that the products contain sibutramine. We have seen this with slimming milkshakes and other examples like the ones above.
There is no way for consumers to tell that they are in fact buying a medicine - and in this particular case - one that could give quite serious side effects if they use it.
If you have taken a product containing sibutramine, we advise you to stop taking the product and to contact your doctor.
The Danish Medicines Agency therefore urges consumers to be very careful if they buy weight-loss products like these.
According to the information we have received, many of these products are sold on the internet, and we generally urge persons who buy medicine on the internet to be careful and to seek advice from their doctor before buying any medicines.
List of products
List of illegal sibutramine-containing products.
