NFL players identify supplement as source of positive steroids test
NEW YORK A trio of National Football League players have fingered the dietary supplement industry in their defense against a positive test for the banned prescription diuretic bumetanide, claiming that the ingredient was found in the Nikki Haskell’s StarCaps weight-loss supplement, which is sold in specialty outlets GNC, Vitamin Shoppe and Great Earth Vitamin Stores according to the StarCaps Web site.
The ingredient is not listed among the dietary supplement ingredients for StarCaps; and there appears to have been no warning letters to date issued by the Food and Drug Administration citing StarCaps for distributing a prescription drug in a nonprescription setting. There also appears to be no action taken by the Federal Trade Commission regarding the company.
However, David Cornwell, attorney for New Orleans Saints players Deuce McAllister, Will Smith and Charles Grant, in a statement issued Wednesday suggested that the NFL had prior knowledge as to StarCaps containing bumetanide. “John Lombardo, the Steroid Policy’s Independent Administrator, testified that he learned in late 2006 that StarCaps contain the diuretic, bumetanide. Dr. Lombardo did not inform NFL players because he feared that a specific warning regarding StarCaps could be used as a defense to alleged violations of the Steroid Policy that involved weight reduction products other than StarCaps,” Cornwell said, as reported on ESPN.com. “Lombardo’s failure to disclose what he knew about StarCaps may have exposed NFL players to the significant health risks associated with the unintentional ingestion of diuretics. If Lombardo had notified NFL players that StarCaps contained bumetanide, Will, Deuce and Charles would have never used the product to lose weight.”
On StarCaps’ Web site, the company has reported it has suspended shipping of StarCaps pending an investigation into its own product. “We’ve received notice of a problem with an NFL player,” the company said. “We have referred the matter to our counsel and are taking all necessary steps to ensure that our customers receive product that is safe and effective.”