The Natural Products Association (NPA) is the leading representative of the dietary supplement and natural products industry. NPA CEO and Executive Director Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., former director of the Division of Dietary Supplement Programs at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), comments on a new case report in The Annals of Internal Medicine connecting BMPEA with exercise-induced stroke:

“The Natural Products Association commends the recent action taken by the FDA in response to companies that have violated the law through the sale of BMPEA. The FDA has both the authorities and tools in place to take action against firms that it believes have infringed on laws that protect against misbranding or adulteration. NPA supports the agency using all of its resources to protect consumers when it finds an issue with a misbranded or adulterated product in the marketplace.
 
“In the case of BMPEA, the aforementioned clinical case report describes the health effects of this compound to be unknown at present. This directly contradicts the claim that BMPEA acts like an amphetamine, the health effects of which are widely known and characterized. While BMPEA may interact with the same receptor targets as amphetamine, it won’t have the same potency or side effects of amphetamine.

“Nevertheless, the agency has taken the necessary steps to shield consumers against products that it has found to contain an illegal, adulterated dietary ingredient. The ongoing discussions surrounding BMPEA and whether it is found in nature will undoubtedly continue, but the agency has clearly taken a stance on how it fits under 201(ff) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and demonstrated its ability to protect public health with its authorities and tools.”