Product News and Recalls

Another energy drink linked to problems

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has linked another energy drink to health problems, according to Bloomberg.

The FDA has named Rockstar Inc.’s energy drinks in 13 adverse event reports dating to 2006, including increased heart rate, abdominal pain and nausea, and four hospitalizations. No deaths were cited.

The FDA considers the reports, which are submitted voluntarily, to be allegations with no proof that the drinks in question caused the adverse events. But federal lawmakers and the New York attorney general’s office have recently begun looking into the possibility of inherent health risks from the highly caffeinated beverages, following similar recent reports of adverse events.

Last month, FDA reports surfaced linking another energy drink, Monster Energy, with five deaths and one heart attack since 2004.

Also this week, a New York Times analysis of FDA reports found that 5-Hour Energy was linked with 13 deaths and more than 30 hospitalizations over the past four years.

Bloomberg reports that energy drinks aren’t bound by the FDA guidelines for caffeine in sodas, because they’re often sold as dietary supplements. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois has proposed imposing caffeine limits on the drinks after emergency room visits involving them jumped 10-fold from 2005 through 2009.

Durbin and Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut sent a letter yesterday to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg stating: “Over the past year, there has been alarming evidence that energy drinks pose a potential threat to the public’s health. It is necessary for the FDA to take immediate action to address a serious public health issue.”

See the story here:

https://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-16/rockstar-energy-drink-cited-in-13-reports-filed-with-fda