Get slim in 30 days with quick weight-loss pills; fat chance, says FDA

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Thinking of popping a pill to shed all that excess weight quickly and easily?

A fat lot of good that'll do - many of these so-called slimming and quick weight-loss pills do nothing but cause health problems like nausea, irregular heartbeats and insomnia.

Alarmed by the rate at which unsuspecting customers are falling prey to this money-spinning industry, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now launched a state-wide raid on pharmacies peddling the products, most of which are easily available over the counter at pharmacies across the state.

In the last five days alone, the FDA has seized drugs worth Rs 80 lakh from the 29 medical stores it has raided across Mumbai, Thane and surrounding areas. The food and drug watchdog has found that these slimming drugs were being advertised with false promises of weight loss and improved health and fitness. If anything, the users often end up with worse health than before.

The ‘perfect body' craze
It's not just slimming pills under the scanner, but also drugs that promise breast enhancement or penis enlargement. Despite the risk of severe side effects, hundreds of people continue to fall for the empty promises, driven by their obsession for the perfect body. Equally worrying is the fact that these drugs are all being sold over the counter (OTC), without any need for a prescription or without consulting a doctor.

Take the example of 22-year-old MBA student, Rupesh Panchal (name changed). This Ghatkopar resident had at first tried going to fitness centres to attain a sculpted physique, but soon found that his studies did not leave him with much time to be regular. So, after taking his friends' suggestion, he visited his local pharmacy and paid R2,000 for a packet of ‘fat-cutting' medicine. He took the tablets regularly, but instead of shedding kilos, he put on even more weight. Frustrated, he sent a complaint to FDA.

Surge in complaints
Having witnessed a surge of 25-30% in such complaints over the past two years, the FDA jumped into action this Monday, and launched state-wide raids to catch hold of pharmacists peddling these harmful drugs, seizing products worth about Rs 1.5 crore across the state.

"Sale of drugs that promise a quick remedy to patients on false basis is a violation of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. We have received several such complaints from people who have been fooled by these medicines. Pharmaceutical companies can't make such claims in their advertisements and medical stores should also not store such products. Excessive use of such medicines can cause serious health hazards, as they accelerate the body's metabolic system," said FDA commissioner Harshadeep Kamble.

"It can cause nausea, loss in appetite, irregular heartbeats, insomnia and other health problems. Intake of such medicines, especially by diabetic patients, is completely prohibited," he added.

False promises galore
20 types of medicines seized for false promises of increasing or decreasing body weight, breast enhancement and penis enlargement. Some of the medicines seized are Maya Breast Firming Cream, Abhay Medari Slim Fit tablet, Fat Go Tablet, and Thirty Days Slim Fit Most of the medicines are imported from neighbouring states like Karnataka, Punjab and Gujarat. Maharashtra FDA will write to FDA offices of these states. "We will send them the letters and now it is their responsibility to look into the matter," said a senior officer.