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Public advisory

Archived – Health Canada is Warning Consumers Not to Use Nutural Slim Weight Loss Product

Starting date:
June 24, 2009
Posting date:
June 24, 2009
Type of communication:
Advisory
Subcategory:
Drugs
Source of recall:
Health Canada
Issue:
Important Safety Information, Unauthorized products
Audience:
General Public
Identification number:
RA-110002823

Health Canada is warning consumers not to use the unauthorized product Nutural Slim, which is promoted as a weight-loss product, as it was found to contain the undeclared pharmaceutical ingredient sibutramine and also an undeclared pharmaceutical ingredient similar to sibutramine. Consumers who have Nutural Slim product are advised to immediately discontinue the use of this product.

Sibutramine is a prescription drug used to treat obesity.

  • The use of sibutramine may cause serious side effects, including cardiovascular reactions, such as increased blood pressure, chest pain, and stroke.
  • Other side effects include dry mouth, difficulty sleeping and constipation. Sibutramine should only be used under the supervision of a healthcare practitioner.
  • Sibutramine should not be taken by people who have had a heart attack, coronary artery disease, heart-related chest pain, irregular heart beats, congestive heart failure, a stroke or symptoms of a stroke, in individuals with unstable or poorly controlled high blood pressure, or in patients who have clinically diagnosed depression or have a psychiatric illness.
  • Sibutramine is not recommended for women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning to become pregnant.

Nutural Slim is not authorized for sale in Canada and has been recalled by the distributor from the Canadian marketplace. The product label indicates the manufacturer of the product to be Yingtai TCM Pharma Co. Health Canada warns Canadians consumers not to purchase these products from the Internet or from any other source.

Health Canada advises retailers to remove Nutural Slim products from their shelves, and consumers to return the product to the point of purchase. Health Canada is taking steps to confirm that the product has been removed from the Canadian market.

Health Canada advises consumers not to use Nutural Slim, or any other unauthorized health product, as they may pose a risk to health. Authorized health products will bear either an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), a Natural Product Number (NPN), or a Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM) on the label. This authorization indicates that the product has been assessed by Health Canada for safety, effectiveness and quality. Health Canada recommends that consumers talk to a health care practitioner about authorized products for weight loss.

Consumers who are concerned about symptoms possibly associated with the use of these products should consult with their health care practitioner. Consumers requiring more information about this advisory can contact Health Canada's public enquiries line at 613-957-2991, or toll free at 1-866-225-0709.

To date, no adverse reactions from the use of this product have been reported in Canada.

You can report any adverse reactions associated with the use of health products to the Canada Vigilance Program by one of the following three ways:

To have postage pre-paid, download the postage paid label from the MedEffect™ Canada Web site. The Canada Vigilance Reporting Form and the adverse reaction reporting guidelines may also be obtained via this website.


Media enquiries

Health Canada
613-957-2983

Public enquiries

613-957-2991
1-866-225-0709

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