Washington,
DC (May 5, 2000) ---The American Journal of Health-System
Pharmacy was urged to stop the May publication of an article
with "serious and damaging inaccuracies" about herbal
products containing Ephedra. The author, Bill Gurley, has been
actively promoting his Ephedra study featured in the article
through interviews with media nationwide.
Accepted
protocol for professional journals is to have scientific articles
reviewed by peers prior to publication. Yet, a prepublication
version of the article already has been published on the Internet
and promoted by news releases from the Pharmacy Journal. Gurley�s
article is scheduled to appear in the printed Journal�s May
issue.
In a letter
to the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists, which
publishes the journal, A. Wes Siegner, Jr., a partner with the
firm of Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, requests a meeting "to
address serious and damaging inaccuracies in the widely distributed
prepublication version of the article." He states that
the misleading, inaccurate, and false statements in the article
need to be corrected prior to publication and cannot be addressed
or reversed in a letter to the editor.
The law
firm serves as legal counsel to the Ephedra Committee of the
American Herbal Products Association, which represents manufacturers
of herbal products, including those containing Ephedra. More
Annually more than 3 billion servings of Ephedra are safely
consumed by Americans who need to lose weight and promote healthier
lifestyles. The Gurley article, and the widespread publicity
promoted for its author, is certain to raise their concerns
or create confusion about the safety of these products.
"The
herb industry is always pleased to see a serious scientific
study that furthers our knowledge about botanicals," said
Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products
Association. "In this case, however, the author has stated
opinions and made implications that go beyond the scope of his
analysis and his professional expertise. These factors discredit
what could have been an important publication that would otherwise
have verified that consumers should buy from responsible herbal
product manufacturers."
Siegner
said his firm will has submitted the article for review by three
experts with backgrounds in the fields of toxicology, pharmacology,
and cardiac pathology. Initial assessments, however, revealed
four major flaws he told the professional group.
The letter
says that the article misrepresents the safety of Ephedra products,
despite the fact that the author attended a symposium where
evidence that contradicts his article was presented. The incorrect
assertions that Ephedra products in general are untested, unsafe,
and even deadly, are false and plainly unacceptable in a peer-reviewed
article, the letter charges.
The Gurley
article also improperly lumps illegal street drugs with dietary
supplements without any explanation. According to the letter,
it leaves the impression that the industry condones the marketing
of these illegal products, when the industry has worked hard
to get the Food and Drug Administration to remove these illegal
products from the market.
The legal
experts challenge statements in the article that norpseudoephedrine
contained in Ephedra products is a controlled substance. Thousands
of readers, the letter says, will be left with the impression
that Ephedra products are abused and highly addictive, and should
be subjected to regulation as controlled substances. "The
actual facts are just the opposite," Siegner�s letter states,
and "to mislead the American public is irresponsible."
Finally,
the letter notes that the article incorrectly asserts that Ephedra
products are related to amphetamine, a highly addictive and
dangerous drug of abuse. "Such statements, are the clearest
form of irresponsible research and knowingly false and misleading
journalism," the letter concludes. The letter also points
to the journal�s "ethical and legal obligations with respect
to the publication of this article."
The Gurley
article does not explain why the author decided to conduct his
study, or the source of his funding for the research.
The Ephedra
Education Council is sponsored 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, an herb which
has been used safely and responsibly for more than 5,000 years.
