This is a collective page of links for
ephedra & ephedrine
related articles found in various sections of our website.
Please click the article titles for the latest news:
Canada Targets Ephedra and Kava
By Lorraine Heller
August 28, 2008
By Lee Bechtel
NHF National Lobbyist
July 2007
Supplements as Drugs
Before the U.S. Supreme Court, Now Decided
By Lee Bechtel, NHF National Lobbyist
May 2007
Court Reviews Ephedra Ban, OK’s FDA’s Decision
by Steve Myers
March 19, 2007
Why the
Ephedra Case Is More
Important
Than You Think
by Scott C. Tips
Editor of Health Freedom News
Board Member and Legal Counsel for NHF
December 2006
THE EPHEDRA STORY AND ASPARTAME
WITH A PERSONAL NOTE TO THE FDA
by Dr. Betty Martini (Mission
Possible International)
Posted December 14, 2006
10th Circuit Refuses to Rehear Ephedra Case
Nutraceutical Appeals to Supreme Court
by Emord & Associates
October 19, 2006
Nutraceutical Corp. Again Challenges Ephedra Ban
by Clarisse Douaud
October 2, 2006
Court Upholds FDA Ephedra Ban
Provided by Lee Bechtel, NHF
National Lobbyist
August 29, 2006
The Stories You Never Heard in the Media about Ephedra
July 25, 2006
Ephedra Decision Is A Mixed Blessing
by Scott Tips
Editor of Health Freedom News
Board Member and Legal Counsel for NHF
July 2005
FDA Ephedra Ban REVERSED by US Court...
Opinion by Tim Bolen "Consumer Advocate"
April 14, 2005
EPHEDRA UPDATE
FIRMS SEEK TO INVALIDATE EPHEDRA BAN,
FDAnews Drug Daily Bulletin
September 3, 2004
Assault on Dietary Supplements Continues
By Lee Bechtel
National NHF Advocate
June 10, 2004
TEN YEARS AFTER DSHEA – IMPLEMENTATION
OF THE
DIETARY SUPPLEMENT HEALTH AND EDUCATION ACT
By Lee Bechtel
National NHF Advocate
May 2004
Institute of Medicine Executive Summary
"Dietary Supplements: A Framework for Evaluating
Safety"
April 1, 2004
A just released Institute of
Medicine (IOM) report, “Dietary Supplements: A
Framework for Evaluating Safety” has concluded that the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) doesn't need direct evidence of human harm before
banning the sale of dietary supplements.
The report also concluded, among its recommendations, that the 1994 Dietary
Supplement Health Education (DSHEA) law should be amended to mandate
supplement
manufacturers' reporting of adverse side effects, just like prescription
drug
makers must now do.
According to Dr. Susan Walker, the FDA's dietary supplement chief, the
report
"appears to be consistent" with the ephedra supplement approach and "We
anticipate this will be a very useful document." DSHEA requires the FDA to
demonstrate “unreasonable risk” from a supplement, something the panel
insisted can
be done with less strict evidence. The report says that data from animals,
test-tube studies, or similar products could suffice to justify the removal
of a
supplement from the market.
In April, all supplements
containing ephedrine alkaloids are slated to become
the first classification of supplements to be banned by the FDA. The FDA’s
action comes after 155 deaths, over eight years, were linked to a specific
ingredient, and after the FDA changed its position. Rather than proving a
supplement actually caused an adverse human health effect, a supplement
ingredient's
actions inside of the body were the grounds for the banning regulation.
Existing scientific data and the FDA’s own Adverse Event Reporting (AER)
data
shows that adverse events, in the same year, related to supplements were
1,214 compared to 300,000 for prescription drugs. Illnesses from tainted
foods,
which the FDA regulates, kill 5,000 Americans each year. A 2002 survey of a
national pharmacy database has found a total of 429,827 medication errors
from
1,081 hospitals. And, in 2001, 7.5 million unnecessary surgeries were
performed
and resulted in 37,136 unnecessary deaths. This data is not included in the
IOM
report, but comes from Congressional hearings on the safety of dietary
supplements.
According to public survey data, the majority of the 158 million Americans
who take supplements believe them to be either reasonably or completely
safe.
Surveys have also shown that people take supplements for purposes such as
treating colds or alleviating depression, even though there are health
claims
restrictions on product therapeutic benefits.
A PDF file containing the Executive Summary of the IOM Report, with findings
and recommendations can be reviewed or downloaded by clicking the following
link:
Institute of Medicine Executive Summary
FDA Ephedra Ban Defies Facts and Logic
by Scott Tips
March 2004
FDA REGULATION & CONGRESSIONAL BILLS
By Lee Bechtel
National NHF Advocate
February 6, 2004
FDA Ephedrine Supplement Ban (Press Release)
February 6, 2004
Containing Ephedrine Alkaloids Final Rule Summary
BIG MEDIA
APPLAUD BAN ON EPHEDRA
by Cliff Kincaid, Editor of the
AIM Report
December 31, 2003
Latest FDA Ephedra/Ephedrine Alkaloids News
***LEE BECHTEL REPORTS -- FDA BAN ON DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS***
Click on each of the following to review:
1) "Support for FDA Ban on Dietary Supplements Containing Ephedrine Ingredients"
**********************
Please click on the appropriate links below to read the following information or right click and choose "Save Target As..." to save this to your file directory for future use and reference. The following files are all in .pdf format requiring Adobe Reader which can be downloaded for your system by clicking the icon at the bottom of this section:
2) Durbin Ephedra Resolution (S. RES. 260 - September 6, 2003)
**********************
3) Greenwood Ephedra Resolution (H. RES. 435 - November 6, 2003)
Senate Bill 1538 - Stuffing the Pockets of the FDA Will Backfire
by Scott Tips
(NHF Legal Counsel)
October 25, 2003
by Kelly Patricia O'Meara
September 2003
Bush Administration Joins Assault On DSHEA
By Lee Bechtel
National NHF Advocate
September - October 2003
Government Regulation Of Common Sense
By Lee Bechtel
National NHF Advocate
July - August 2003
by Scott Tips
June 2003, Whole Foods Magazine