IA #54-13, 7/13/04, IMPORT ALERT #54-13, "DETENTION WITHOUT PHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS AND BULK DIETARY INGREDIENTS CONTAINING EPHEDRINE ALKALOIDS FROM ALL COUNTRIES" ATTACHMENT A 7/13/04 TYPE OF ALERT: Detention Without Physical Examination (DWPE) (Note: This import alert represents the Agency's current guidance to FDA field personnel regarding the manufacturer(s) and/or products(s) at issue. It does not create or confer any rights for or on any person, and does not operate to bind FDA or the public) PRODUCT: Dietary Supplements Containing Ephedrine Alkaloids; Bulk Dietary Ingredients Containing Ephedrine Alkaloids PRODUCT CODE: 54 F - - - 54 E - - - 54 Y - - - PROBLEM: Adulteration PAF: AAP PAC FOR COLLECTION: 21008 COUNTRY: All MANUFACTURER/ SHIPPERS FEI: All CHARGE: "The product is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to Section 801(a)(3) in that it is a dietary supplement or a dietary ingredient that appears to contain ephedrine alkaloids, which presents an unreasonable risk of illness or injury under the conditions of use recommended or suggested in the labeling, or if no conditions of use are suggested in the labeling, under ordinary conditions of use [Adulteration, Section 402(f)(1)(A)]." OASIS CHARGE CODE: EPHEDALK RECOMMENDING OFFICE: CFSAN, Office of Compliance, Imports Branch (HFS-606) REASON FOR ALERT: Section 402(f)(1)(A) of the Act provides that a dietary supplement or dietary ingredient is adulterated if it presents a significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury under conditions of use recommended or suggested in the labeling of the product, or if no conditions of use are suggested in the labeling, under ordinary conditions of use. We issued "Final Rule Declaring Dietary Supplements Containing Ephedrine Alkaloids Adulterated Because They Present an Unreasonable Risk" (69 FR 6787, Feb. 11, 2004) based upon the well-known and scientifically established pharmacology of ephedrine alkaloids, the peer-reviewed scientific literature about the effects of ephedrine alkaloids, published case reports of adverse events, and the adverse events reported to us that have occurred in individuals using products containing ephedrine alkaloids, particularly dietary supplements. As set forth in the rule, we have concluded that dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids pose a risk of serious adverse events, including heart attack, stroke, and death, and that these risks are unreasonable in light of any benefits that may result from the use of these products under their labeled conditions of use, or under ordinary conditions of use if the labeling is silent. The final rule took effect on April 12, 2004. GUIDANCE: Districts may detain without physical examination (DWPE) any products labeled as dietary supplements that claim to contain ephedrine alkaloids or one or more of the following individual ephedrine alkaloids, if the labeling indicates that the ephedrine alkaloid content derives from a botanical source: ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norephedrine, methylephedrine, norpseudoephedrine, and methylpseudoephedrine. Districts may DWPE dietary ingredients intended for dietary supplement use that claim to contain ephedrine alkaloids or one or more of the above listed individual ephedrine alkaloids if the labeling indicates that the ephedrine alkaloid content derives from a botanical source. Districts may DWPE any products labeled as dietary supplements if the labeling declares a plant listed in Attachment A or an extract of such a plant. Districts may DWPE dietary ingredients intended for dietary supplement use if the labeling declares a plant listed in Attachment A or an extract of such a plant. A detained product or bulk ingredient may be released if a firm is able to provide documentary evidence, such as laboratory worksheets or certificates of analysis, that provide assurance that it is free of ephedrine alkaloids. Attachment A is a list of plants compiled by CFSAN that have been shown to contain ephedrine alkaloids. Questions related to dietary supplements may be directed to CFSAN, Office of Compliance/Imports Branch (HFS-606) at (301) 436-2413. Questions related to drug issues may be directed to CDER, Office of Compliance/Imports Branch (HFD-310), attention Ada Irizarry at 301-827-8967. Questions related to testing methodology for ephedrine alkaloids may be directed to the Division of Field Science (HFC-141), attention George Salem at 301-827-1031. PRIORITIZATION GUIDANCE: I FOI: KEYWORDS: ephedrine, dietary supplement, Ephedra spp. PREPARED BY: Brian S. Landesberg, CFSAN, (301) 436-1622 Gary L. Coody, OE, 301-827-4142 George C. Ziobro, Ph.D., CFSAN, 301-436-1965 John E. Verbeten, DIOP, 301-594-3853 DATE LOADED INTO FIARS: July 13, 2004 Attachment A 7/13/04 Plants that have been shown to contain ephedrine alkaloids Scientific names and synonyms Common names Ephedra distachya L. Chinese ephedra efedra [Spanish] Subordinate taxa ephedra Ephedra distachya subsp. distachya jointfir Ephedra distachya L. subsp. helvetica (C. A. ma huang (stem) Mey.) Asch. & Graebn. Meertr„ubchen [German] Ephedra distachya L. subsp. raisin de mer [French] monostachya (L.) Riedl sea-grape Synonym: shuang sui ma huang Ephedra helvetica C. A. Mey. uva marina [Italian] Xinjiang ephedra Ephedra equisetina Bunge Chinese ephedra Synonym: Chinese jointfir Ephedra shennungiana Tang. ephedra Ephedra nebrodensis Boiss. Ephedrae Herba ma huang, mahwang [Korean] Mongolian ephedra mu zei ma huang [chvojnik chvoscovyj] [Russian] Ephedra intermedia Schrenk ex C.A. Mey. Chinese ephedra Subordinate taxa: ephedra Ephedra intermedia Schrenk & C. A. Mey. Ephedrae Herba var. intermedia ma huang (stem) Ephedra intermedia Schrenk & C. A. Mey. ma huang gen (root & rhizome) var. tibetica Stapf oman [Kashmir] Synonyms: zhong ma huang Ephedra ferganensis V.V. Nikitin Ephedra glauca Regel Ephedra intermedia var. glauca Stapf Ephedra intermedia var. persica Stapf Ephedra intermedia var. schrenkii Stapf Ephedra intermedia var. tibetica Stapf Ephedra microsperma V.V. Nikitin Ephedra persica (Stapf) V.V. Nikitin Ephedra tesquorum V.V. Nikitin Ephedra tibetica (Stapf) V.V. Nikitin Ephedra valida V.V. Nikitin Ephedra sinica Stapf cao ma huang Synonym: Chinese ephedra Ephedra ma-huang Liu Chinese joint fir Chinesisches Meertr„ubel [German] ephedra Ephedrae Herba ma huang ma huang gen (root & rhizome) mahwang [Korean] mao [Japanese] There are orthographic variants of some of the common names by the addition of a dash or a space, e.g. jointfir, joint fir, joint-fir, mahuang, ma-huang, ma huang. Caveney, S., D.A.Charlet, H. Freitag, M. Maier-Stolte, and A.N. Starratt (2001) New Observations on the Secondary Chemistry of World Ephedra (Ephedraceae), American Journal of Botany 88:1199-1208. He, Y.K., T.G. Lu, and C.S. Sun (1995) Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry 33:361-376 Jian-fang Cui, Tong-hui Zhou, Jian-sheng Zhang, and Zhi-cen Lou (1991) Analysis of Alkaloids in Chinese Ephedra Species by Gas Chromatographic Methods, Phytochemical Analysis 2:116-119. Mamoru Noguchi, Katsuko Hosoda, and Hideyo Suzuki (1987) Normal Phase High- Performance Liquid Chromatography of Ephedra Alkaloids, Yakugaku Zasshi 107:372-376 Smith, T.A. (1977) Phenethylamine and Related Compounds in Plants, Phytochemistry 16:9-18. Ying-Mei Liu, shuenn-Jyi Sheu, Shiow-Hua Chiou, Hsein-Chang Chang, and Yuh-Pan Chen (1993) A Comparative Study on Commercial Samples of Ephedra Herba, Planta Medica 59:376-378. Zeng Quan, Liu Chengji, Zheng Lizhen, and Xiao Lixin (1990) Separation and Determination of Diastereomers l-Ephedrin and d-Pseudoephedrine in Ephedra Herba and its Process Products, J of China Pharmaceutical University 21:236- 238. Zhang Jian (Zhang Jian-sheng), Tian Zhen, and Lou Zhi-cen (1988) Simultaneous Determination of Six Alkaloids in Ephedra Herba by High Performance Liquid Chromatography, Plant Medica 54:69-70. Zhang, J., Tian, Z., and Lou, Z (1989) Quality evaluation of twelve species of Chinese Ephedra (Ma Huang), Zhongguo Yaoxue Zazhi (Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica) 24:865-871.