On May 1, 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued two statements about Hydroxycut-branded dietary supplements. In a public advisory, the FDA urged consumers to immediately stop use of Hydroxycut. It talked about the risk of liver injury that had been correlated with Hydroxycut use.

On the same day, the FDA issued a letter to healthcare professionals, describing Hydroxycut products as a "serious public health risk." It talked about reports of 23 cases of liver damage associated with the use of Hydroxycut, some leading to full liver failure, and one to patient death. The letter asked doctors to report liver damage associated with Hydroxycut and review previous cases of hepatitis, characterized by liver injury, to see if they were associated with Hydroxycut use.

In preparing its statement, the FDA informed Iovate Health Sciences, Inc, the manufacturer of Hydroxycut, about its findings. How, exactly, a recall was decided on seems unclear. According to Iovate health Sciences, the company "initiated a voluntary recall when it became aware" of the FDA's findings. According to the FDA statement, "Iovate has agreed to recall" all 14 varieties of Hydroxycut named by the FDA. These varieties are:

• Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets
• Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets
• Hydroxycut Hardcore Liquid Caplets
• Hydroxycut Max Liquid Caplets
• Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix)
• Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Liquid Shots
• Hydroxycut Hardcore RTDs (Ready-to-Drink)
• Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed
• Hydroxycut 24
• Hydroxycut Carb Control
• Hydroxycut Natural

Not all varieties of Hydroxycut have yet been found to be associated with liver damage, but in many cases, injury reports take a long time to reach the FDA. The Hydroxycut-associated death occurred in 2007, but did not reach the FDA until March 2009.

With doctors reviewing past cases of liver damage, it is likely that more cases will be linked to Hydroxycut use. If you suffered liver damage while using Hydroxycut, schedule a Hydroxycut injury lawsuit consultation with the pharmaceutical liability lawyers at Schlichter, Bogard & Denton today.

Labels: attorney, drugs, FDA, Hydroxycut, liver damage