An experimental stimulant drug from the World War II era is showing up in weight loss and sports supplements sold today, according to a new study.
The stimulant, known as phenpromethamine, was last sold as a nasal inhaler called Vonedrine in the 1940s and 1950s, but it has since been withdrawn from the market and has never been approved for oral use, according to the study, published Tuesday (March 23) in the journal Clinical Toxicology. It’s also banned from competitive sports by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The new study appears to be the first to confirm the presence of phenpromethamine in supplements, the authors said.
In addition to phenpromethamine, the study identified eight other prohibited stimulants in sports and weight loss supplements, which were often found mixed together in various combinations to create “cocktails” of stimulant drugs that have never been studied in people…
These products were usually marketed as weight loss supplements or sport supplements. (A full list of these supplement brands can be found in the study.)
Maybe we can get the FDA back in the business of trying to protect consumers instead of allowing leftover drugs weaseled back into consumption by unprincipled producers.