Ephedra Education Council Lauds 55 Favorable Clinical Studies

12/10/2002

From: Richard Price, 202-789-1447, 877-846-6324, or Rprice@akerpartners.com For Ephedra Education Council

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- The Ephedra industry today released a first-ever report containing more than 55 clinical studies supporting Ephedra's safety and weight loss benefits. No significant adverse effects were found to be caused by ephedrine or ephedra in any clinical trials. In a speech before a national conference on weight loss and obesity, Ephedra Education Council general counsel Wes Siegner showed conference attendees two several inches thick black binders that included more than 50 clinical studies on ephedrine or Ephedra, where no serious or medically significant adverse events were reported. More than 20 of these studies found that Ephedra dietary supplements were beneficial for helping with weight loss in adults.

"Clinical studies, which scientists consider the 'gold standard' for assessing product safety or benefits, favor Ephedra's safety 55 to 0. Zero is the number of studies showing significant adverse effects. The Ephedra industry has compiled and summarized these studies to correct the myth about the scientific record on Ephedra," said Wes Siegner, general counsel, Ephedra Education Council. "Unlike our critics, the industry has done its homework from the start and has responsibly marketed products that are safe and beneficial when used according to label directions."

Experts on weight loss and obesity discussed Ephedra and other dietary supplements during a two-day conference sponsored by Strategic Research Institute. In his speech, Wes Siegner provided an analysis of the upcoming regulatory outlook for Ephedra, which includes the upcoming Rand Corporation's review of Ephedra data, and provided his predictions for possible Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory actions based on the release of Rand Report.

"Medical experts on weight loss agree that being overweight or obese carries serious health consequences, and that the benefits of Ephedra products for weight loss far outweigh rare potential risks. The industry looks forward to working with the Department of Health and Human Services, FDA, and other government agencies to ensure the continued responsible manufacturing and marketing of Ephedra dietary supplements for adult weight loss," concluded Siegner.

------ The Ephedra Education Council (EEC) is supported primarily by members of the Ephedra Committee of the American Herbal Products Association, a recognized leader in promoting the safe and responsible marketing of dietary supplements. The Council provides factual information to the media and public about dietary supplements containing Ephedra. For more information, logon to http://www.EphedraFacts.com.