Health & Nutrition Systems
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
West Palm Beach, Fla.-based firm will discontinue sales of ephedra products because supplier Garden State Nutritionals lost product liability insurance, HNS says Dec. 19. GSN reported in September plans to phase in ephedra-free offerings, but said it still intended to sell the botanical (1"The Tan Sheet" Sept. 9, 2002, p. 4). HNS expects an 18% drop in quarterly sales due to the announcement, noting 19% of 2002 sales came from ephedra-based products, such as Thin Tabs, Fat Cutter Plus. Company retains $10 mil. of liability insurance. Plans to release clinically-tested-for-safety ephedra product with single-dose packaging have been shelved, but firm may launch "after dust settles" on the ingredient...