Chuck to FDA: Push supplements study

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) urged the Food and Drug Administration yesterday to complete a study on ephedra-free products, saying copycat supplements may be as dangerous as the herbal stimulant that has been linked to dozens of deaths.
Schumer renewed his call for the study because General Nutrition Corp., the nation's largest chain of dietary supplement stores, announced last week that it will stop selling ephedra by the end of June.

The company operates 5,300 stores in the United States, including 230 in New York.

"When people switch from ephedra, they could begin to use products that are as dangerous or more," Schumer said.

Ephedra has been linked to dozens of deaths, including that of Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Steve Bechler.

In March, Schumer asked the FDA to study the safety of ephedra replacements.

As the Daily News reported in February, ephedra substitutes such as bitter orange can cause the same harmful side effects as ephedra.

Schumer, the co-sponsor of a bill introduced by Sen.Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) that would require supplement manufacturers to prove the safety of their products before they could be sold, told the Daily News the agency has been dragging its feet.

"I'm not happy with the FDA," Schumer said. "When GNC moves faster than the FDA, that's a problem."

Meanwhile, New York City Council Minority Leader James Oddo (R-S.I.), the sponsor of a bill that would outlaw the sale of ephedra in the city, says he is considering expanding his bill to include other herbal stimulants. A hearing on the bill will probably take place in July, he said.

"The growth of the supplement industry has outpaced the ability of regulatory bodies to keep up," Oddo said.