First settlement in diet supplement case

A jury in Alabama has awarded more than $4 million to four people who suffered strokes and cardiac problems after taking a dietary supplement sold by Metabolife.

Metabolife has been under investigation in the U.S. since August because it is the leading marketer of ephedra products. American authorities say the company lied about the safety of its controversial dietary supplement.

The award is the first Metabolife case to reach a verdict. Several other lawsuits are pending in different states.
"This is a great victory for the many people injured by this dangerous and unmonitored supplement," said lawyer Archie Lamb, who represented the consumers. "The jury agreed that the use of this powerful, unregulated product was the direct cause of life-threatening injuries."

Ephedra is a species of herbs used in weight loss products, energy boosters and as a body-building enhancer. It is also known as ephedrine and by its Chinese name, ma huang.

Health Canada issued a warning and a recall of ephedra products at the beginning of this year. However, many ephedra products are still available in health stores and online.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is now seeking criminal charges against Metabolife.

Metabolife's president Michael Ellis made a statement in 1998 to the FDA saying his company "never received one notice from a consumer that any serious adverse health event has occurred because of the ingestion of Metabolife 356."

But documents from lawsuits against the company revealed that Metabolife received complaints before Ellis made the statement.
Back in the early '90s, the FDA issued warnings about diet products such as Metabolife 356. Some consumers experienced side effects such as seizures, heart attacks and strokes. Several people died as a result.

"The company took advantage of millions of people by exploiting their frustration over their inability to lose weight and lead healthier lives," said Michael Hackard, a California lawyer who was watching the Alabama case closely.

Hackard plans to pursue a lawsuit in California where Metabolife International is based. He says hundreds of thousands of people in California used the supplement until 2002.