The recent development on the case of a supplement manufacturer is another victory for the FDA. The agency’s effort to curtail the illegal manufacture and distribution of supplements tainted with steroids draws national attention especially by the supplements industry. They conducted several raids last year on companies allegedly distributing supplements which may contain steroid ingredients not approve by the agency. Last week, a nutrition company recalled 17 of its products from the market in an effort to comply with the directives of FDA. Although they did not admit that they are selling steroids which may harm their clients. In the press release by MuscleMaster, they also advised the consumer to immediately cease using the recalled products and return it to their company.

This week, American Cellular Labs, a nutritional company selling supplements, entered into a plea agreement and was fined $500,000. In the report of NY Times, VMG Global or more popular as American Cellular Labs admitted selling products under the guise of dietary supplements that had been illegally spiked with steroids. Based on the court records, the company knowingly deceived consumers and the government by marketing two illegal drug products that each contained a synthetic anabolic steroid under the guise of dietary supplements from 2005 up to 2009. It was estimated that the supplement company earned approximately $5.6 million from those products in question. The FDA specifically identified two of their products which contain synthetic anabolic steroids. These were Tren Extreme and Mass Extreme which contain Madol, a designer steroid. Madol was first identified during the BALCO or Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative investigation six years ago. Most professional sports organizations include it in their list of banned substances. It was also questioned for its possible side effects to the user.

Since it is a designer steroid, inclusion of this ingredient to dietary supplements is illegal. The FDA already issued warning letters to consumers not to buy supplements and other bodybuilding products because of the possibility of inclusion of undeclared ingredients such as steroids. The agency is concerned on the side effects of these products like acute liver injury and other health problems. They also added that these misbranded products were not approved by the FDA.

ACL pleaded guilty to one count of introducing unapproved drugs into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud and mislead. It was filed last week in United States District Court in San Jose, California. The company agrees to pay a penalty of up to $500,000 and promised to destroy its remaining inventory of Tren Extreme and Mass Extreme. According to the attorney of VMG Global, Rick Collins, the company cooperated with the government in resolving the case in a fair and appropriate manner. “The felony prosecution and the substantial fine imposed should serve as a warning to supplement companies selling misbranded products that do not fit the criteria for a dietary ingredient,” he told the media.

Tren extreme and Mass extreme became popular to bodybuilders and sports enthusiasts because of its immediate benefits. However, the inclusion of other ingredients not approved by the food and drugs authority is dangerous to the health of the consumers. Since the supplements industry is a very lucrative business, some companies use illegal ingredients or make unfounded claims on the products to entice consumers. This is aside from the underground laboratories which usually mislabel their supplement products.

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