Intercharm Inc., is recalling its Slimforte Slimming Capsules, Slimforte Slimming Coffee, and Botanical Slimming Soft Gel at the consumer/user level, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just announced.
FDA laboratory analyses found the recalled products to contain Sibutramine, which is an appetite suppressant and a controlled substance that was withdrawn from the market in October 2010 for safety reasons. These products are sold as dietary supplements and marketed for weight loss.
All of the recalled products were distributed through the Internet nationwide, and internationally to Ireland. The following Intercharm products are involved:
Slim Forte Slimming Capsules
Packaged in a green box with a picture of a woman on the front. The box has pink, blue, and green text. The box contains 30 capsules. Batch No. 20100928, Best By 09.27.2012 and Batch No. 20100604, Best By 06.03.2012 are involved.
Slim Forte Slimming Coffee
Packaged in a green box with a picture of a woman on the front. The box has pink, blue, and green text. The box contains 10 packets of instant coffee. Batch No. 20100903, Best By 09.02.2012 are involved.
Meizitang Botanical Slimming Soft Gel
Packaged in a green package/pouch with a green background and a picture of a woman on its front. The package has yellow, white, and black text. The pouch contains 3 blister packs of 12 each 650 mg softgel capsules. Lot Code 12.24.2009, Best By 12.23.2011 are involved.
Products containing Sibutramine pose a threat to consumers because Sibutramine is known to substantially increase blood pressure and/or pulse rate in some patients and may present a significant risk for patients with a history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, or stroke. These products may also interact in life-threatening ways with other medications a consumer may be taking. To date, Intercharm Inc. has not received any reports of adverse events related to this recall.
Consumers should stop using these products immediately and return to the place of purchase. Consumers who have experienced any negative side effects should consult a health care professional as soon as possible.
Intercharm Inc. can be reached at 1.323.876.7441, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).
The FDA reminds healthcare professionals and patients that they are encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of these products to its MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program: Online at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm; by regular mail, use postage-paid, pre-addressed Form FDA 3500 available at: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm and mail to the address on the pre-addressed form; or by fax to 1.800.FDA.0178.
