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Nuria Ramírez de Castro
Madrid
Tuesday, 20 August 2024, 18:04
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Health authorities in Spain have banned the sale of various weight loss products such as capsules, teas and instant coffees for being illegal drugs.
The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (Aemps) banned them after they were marketed as a nutritional or food supplement, although they contained the appetite suppressant drug sibutramine in sufficient quantity to be considered a medicinal product. It was also not declared on the labelling despite the fact it can cause serious damage to the health of those who consumed it.
None of them had passed the safety tests and the Aemps endorsement required for any medicine. The recalled products are Soraya Cápsulas, HHS Kuka Café, Soraya Slim Coffee Café, Lipo Solución and Detox Tea.
Sibutramine is an appetite suppressant that provides a feeling of being full and also increases energy levels. But it has other less desirable side effects such as increases in heart rate and blood pressure.
The national ministry of health said arrhythmias, heart attacks and serious vascular incidents have been reported in people who have taken the drug. Sibutramine can also cause other minor problems such as dry mouth, headaches, insomnia, constipation and interfere with other drugs.
Before the emergence of other anti-obesity drugs, such as ozempic, sibutramine was part of the arsenal of prescription drugs for the treatment of excess weight. The European Union suspended it 14 years ago however as it was linked to serious cardiovascular complications.
All of the recalled products could have serious side effects, but in one product in particular, Detox Tea, the risk was multiplied. In addition to sibutramine, it contained sildenafil. This is the active ingredient in Viagra, which is used for erectile dysfunction and is not recommended for people with cardiovascular or liver problems or eye diseases.
Sildenafil can also interfere with other medicines. The medicines agency said: "it can also cause adverse reactions of varying severity that should be taken into consideration, such as cardiovascular adverse reactions, since its use has been associated with acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, ventricular arrhythmia, palpitations, tachycardia, stroke, and even sudden cardiac death, which have occurred to a greater extent in patients with a history of cardiovascular risk factors".
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