FDA Issues Safety Warning Regarding Fake Dietary Supplements

The FDA has issued a new alert regarding the dangers posed by fake dietary supplements, which can cause serious injuries and even death. Many of the products being marketed as “dietary supplements” are fraudulent, but the bigger concern is that some are actually dangerous and can cause such adverse effects as heart palpitations, liver damage, kidney failure, stroke or death.

The FDA does not regulate dietary supplements, but makers of these products are required by law to ensure that their products are safe and that the manufacturer is not promoting benefits that do not exist. The FDA has identified over 300 fake or dangerous supplements promoted to aid sexual performance, dieting and muscle development. These fake supplements may contain dangerously high doses of hidden ingredients found in FDA approved drugs or otherwise be tainted or unsafe.

If you have suffered serious side effects, which may be linked to a fake dietary supplement, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. At Montlick and Associates, we represent those who suffer serious adverse effects from taking fake dietary supplements. If you believe you have suffered serious side effects, our Atlanta personal injury lawyers will provide you with a free consultation and discuss your rights to money damages.

The primary safety concern associated with these fake supplements is that they do not actually qualify as supplements but instead contain active ingredients found in FDA prescription drugs or similar substances but at dangerously high levels. Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, dietary supplements are not subject to FDA review and approval prior to being placed on the market. However, the manufacturer is responsible for not placing an unsafe substance on the market or making claims about the effectiveness of the supplement that are untrue.

While the FDA will investigate and try to have dangerous supplements removed from the market, it is much easier for the makers of fake supplements to place their product on the market than for the FDA to have it pulled off the market. Supplements that have been removed from the market by the FDA include seventy products for sexual performance, forty diet products and eighty body building products. The FDA has provided warnings and seized many of these harmful fraudulent supplements and even pursued criminal prosecutions.

If you suffer serious injury from a fake dietary supplement product, you may be able to initiate a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer of the tainted product. The basis of the lawsuit may be both that the substance is unsafe and causes injury and/or that there are not sufficient indications and warnings on the packaging of the product. Our product liability attorneys will use pharmacological experts to help build the best case possible against the manufacturer of the defective product.

It is important that a consumer be able to identify potential fake supplements that may be harmful. The FDA has provided some signs, to help alert consumers of a fake and potentially dangerous supplement:

• Promoted primarily by email or in foreign language
• Claims to be an alternative to FDA approved drug or to have similar effects
• Purports to be a safe alternative to anabolic steroids
• Offer long-lasting or rapid sexual enhancement
• Make offers that seem too good to be true with extreme and outrageous claims

If you have suffered serious health effects, which may have been caused by a fraudulent supplement, Montlick and Associates may be able to help. We have been representing those injured by defective products in Atlanta and throughout Georgia for over 39 years. Our product liability lawyers in Georgia are committed to providing exceptional service as part of our goal of being known as the best Atlanta product liability law firm in Georgia.

Our Atlanta product liability attorneys are available to assist clients throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.