Dietary Supplement Banned from Camp Pendleton

A dietary supplement linked to liver failure has been banned from Camp Pendleton base exchanges, the Marine Corps announced recently.

OxyELITE Pro was banned after users suffered from fatal symptoms after using the enhancer in Hawaii, officials wrote in a news announcement.

On Oct. 8 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning about the supplement referring to OxyELITE Pro as being linked to "Acute Hepatitis and Liver Failure.” The supplement is used for weight loss or muscle building.

“OxyELITE Pro, known as a super thermogenic, is engineered to increase heat through metabolic stimulation,” according to a news release issued by Cpl. Scott Reel. “The goal of metabolic stimulation is to burn fat; however, this product is linked to liver failure, heart problems and hepatitis symptoms.”

Below is a portion of the news release issued by Reel:

OxyElite Pro is sold nation-wide and distributed by USPlabs LLC of Dallas, Texas. The statements "Scientifically Reviewed" and "Pharmacist Formulated" ironically sit above and below the label that has been linked to 24 cases of acute non-viral hepatitis in the state of Hawaii. Two cases have received liver transplants and one person has died.

The Marine Corps, recently banning other similar substances such as Jack3d, acted quickly to protect the health of all those with access to the supplement on base.

“The MCCS [Marine Corps Community Services] exchanges on Camp Pendleton got the instruction, Oct. 8, to pull the product.” said Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Wilkes, preventative medicine officer of I Marine Expeditionary Force. “On Oct. 9, I verified that this product was not on the shelf of the Del Mar area exchange, the commissary, or the country store.”

Camp Pendleton’s removal of the product from the base retail sparked a chain reaction that quickly occurred across the military.

In a recent email, Brian Driver, head of policy with Semper Fit and Exchange Services Division, said the indicated the product was pulled from all Marine Corps Exchange shelves and GNC in all military installations, Oct. 10.

Additionally, the Department of Health has passionately requested retailers to take the product off of the shelves based on the severe occurrences in Hawaii.

Wilkes recommends OxyELITE Pro users to stop using any it immediately, report to medical if experiencing any of the mentioned symptoms, and do not throw away the pills if you develop symptoms because the CDC or FDA may want to do further testing.

Symptoms of all types of hepatitis are similar and can include fever, fatigue, joint pain, yellow eyes, jaundice, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, and clay or gray-colored bowel movements.

For more information regarding the banned supplement, visit the Human Performance Resource Center website.