To the Editor: In their letter in the 1 February 2010 issue of the Journal, Rashid and Grant reported the first Australian case of hepatotoxicity associated with the weight-loss product Hydroxycut.1 They noted that, in May 2009, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised consumers to stop using Hydroxycut products on the basis of 23 reports linking them to serious injury, including one fatal case of liver failure.
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- 1. Rashid NN, Grant J. Hydroxycut hepatotoxicity [letter]. Med J Aust 2010; 192: 173-174. <MJA full text>
- 2. Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Advice to consumers regarding Hydroxycut products. 2009; 8 May. http://www.tga.gov.au/alerts/medicines/hydroxycut.htm (accessed Dec 2009).
- 3. Food Standards Agency (UK). News Centre. Public warned not to take certain Hydroxycut supplements. 2009; 12 Jun. http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2009/jun/hydroxycut (accessed Feb 2010).
- 4. Therapeutic Products Advertising Complaints. Complaints Resolution Panel. Complaints Register. [Search for hydroxycut]. http://www.tgacrp.com.au/index.cfm?pageID=13 (accessed Feb 2010).
- 5. Harvey K. A review of proposals to reform the regulation of complementary medicines. Aust Health Rev 2009; 33: 279-285.
- 6. Heller L. Reformulated Hydroxycut back on shelves. NutraIngredients-USA.com. 2009; 8 Sep. http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/On-your-radar/Quality-control/Reformulated-Hydroxycut-back-on-shelves (accessed Apr 2010).
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