WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 1999 -- The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to avoid weight-loss products containing tiratricol, saying it can cause complications ranging from diarrhea to heart failure.
The substance is being marketed by at least eight firms. One calls it "Triax Metabolic Accelerator" and advertises it as a "hardcore fat loss substance" that gets "incredible results."
Syntrax Innovations Inc. claims that users of the substance have lost as much as 100 pounds with "no adverse side effects." But the FDA said it knows of at least two users who developed thyrooid abnormalities as a result of using the substance.
The FDA does not have jurisdiction over nutritional supplements but the agency said that Triax has "a drug effect" on the body and is therefore subject to regulation.
It's estimated that at least 100,000 bottles of Triax have been sold over the Internet and at retail stores.
But Syntrax Innovations was defiant and called the FDA's charges "a blatant lie." The Cape Girardeau, MO., company said it would continue to sell the product, although Missouri state officials have temporarily blocked further distribution.
