Warnings - Columns-Drugs & Supplements, March 2004

FDA, HHS Urges Companies to Stop Selling Andro

WASHINGTON - Twenty-three companies manufacturing androstenedione, a steroid-like supplement that the body uses to make its own testosterone, were warned March 11 by the FDA and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to stop selling the product until they can prove it is safe.

The federal regulators stated that use of the products is becoming and that long-term use of products containing andro could result in serious and potentially life-threatening events.

"While andro products may seem to have short-term benefits, the science shows that these same properties create real and significant …