FDA issues warning on red yeast rice products
The FDA is warning consumers not to buy or eat three red yeast rice products sold on Web sites as dietary supplements for treating high cholesterol.
The FDA is warning consumers not to buy or eat three red yeast rice products sold on Web sites as dietary supplements for treating high cholesterol. The products are Red Yeast Rice and Red Yeast Rice/Policosonal Complexsold by Swanson Healthcare Products and manufactured by Nature's Value and Kabco Inc., respectivelyand Cholestrix, sold by Sunburst Biorganics. FDA testing revealed the products contain lovastatin, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Mevacor (Merck), which is used to treat high cholesterol. Lovastatin can cause severe muscle problems leading to kidney impairment. This risk is greater in patients who take higher doses of lovastatin or who take lovastatin and other medicines that increase the risk of muscular adverse reactions. These include other cholesterol-lowering medications, the antidepressant nefazodone, certain antibiotics, and drugs used to treat fungal and HIV infections.
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