Weight loss drug has hidden ingredient with cardiac side effects: FDA

The US Food and Drug administration has issued a warning to the consumers that Alfia Weight Loss Capsules contain sibutramine, a controlled substance known to pose cardiac side effects.

Food and Drug administration laboratory analysis confirmed that Alfia Weight Loss Capsules contain sibutramine. Sibutramine is a controlled substance that was removed from the market in October 2010 for safety reasons. The product poses a threat to consumers because sibutramine is known to substantially increase blood pressure and/or heart rate in some people and may present a significant risk for people with a history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, or stroke. This product may also interact, in life-threatening ways, with other medications a consumer may be taking.

"The product poses a threat to consumers because sibutramine is known to substantially increase blood pressure and/or heart rate in some people and may present a significant risk for people with a history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, or stroke,” the FDA wrote in its advisory. “This product may also interact, in life-threatening ways, with other medications a consumer may be taking.”