Now, steroids are readily available through Amazon.com, according to a prominent anti-doping researcher who ordered several dietary supplements from the consumer Web site and tested them to verify that they indeed contained potent, illegal – and potentially dangerous – oral steroids.
Dr. Don Catlin and his son, Dr. Oliver Catlin, revealed their findings on January 19, 2011 (http://thecatlinperspective.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/amazon-sellers-trafficking-steroids-some-listed-as-class-iii-controlled-substances). The elder Catlin is the founder and was the Director of the UCLA Olympic laboratory from its inception in 1982 until I left UCLA 25 years later (2007). The lab was accredited by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1983 and it was the first sport testing lab in the United States. The laboratory performed the testing for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, the steroid testing for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, and the testing for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games.
According to a post on Catlin’s Website, “knowingly or not, Amazon does appear to be providing a marketplace for selling steroids, some classified as controlled substances.” Hopefully, said Catlin, “Amazon will hear the FDA on this matter and also voluntarily withdraw these steroid products from their website, sooner rather than later.” According to a Washington Post article regarding the investigation, “none of the eight to 10 products the Catlins obtained was subject to age or other ordering restrictions from Amazon.com, and the Web site did not provide health warnings of any kind.”
The Catlins noted that “the[se] products can cause severe liver damage as well as other side effects, and none was medical-grade pure when tested, suggesting that other trouble could result from ingestion.”
Recent Dietary Supplement Lawsuits …
A major focus of The Senators Firm is representation of consumers injured by so-called “dietary supplement” products. The Firm recently filed suit against the Max Muscle franchise operation and the distributor of a so-called “diet supplement” that FDA enforcement agents found contained illegal steroids after their client suffered liver and multi-organ failure after ingesting the product:https://www.thesenatorsfirm.com/the-senators-ret-firm-llp-represents-plaintiff-who-claims-he-lost-liver-and-kidney-to-dietary-supplement. The product, Epio-Plex, was later recalled: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ArchiveRecalls/2009/ucm188929.htm.
Very few people know or fully appreciate that dietary supplements are largely unregulated by the FDA. Many supplements are not tested before they are marketed, and FDA does not review them for safety or effectiveness before they are distributed to the public. These products may also be tainted by dangerous ingredients not listed on labeling, including steroids and prescription drugs. Dietary supplements, especially those sold to promote weight loss or body building, may be ticking time bombs, and until the damage is done to many consumers, FDA is largely without power to do anything to protect the public.
Do I Have a Dietary, Weight Loss or Bodybuilding Supplement Lawsuit?
The trial lawyers at The Senators (Ret.) Firm, LLP have decades of experience litigating and resolving lawsuits and claims all over the United States involving injuries caused by the ingestion of nutritional supplements, weight loss pills, bodybuilding products and many others. If you or someone close to you has suffered injuries that may be related to defective and/or tainted dietary supplements we are here to help ensure that your rights are fully protected.
If you or a loved one has been injured after taking a Dietary, Weight Loss or Bodybuilding Supplement, you should contact our lawyers immediately by clicking the link below or calling toll free 1-(949) 557-5800. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and we can help.