Swissmedic is issuing a warning regarding the slimming product Esillaa.
This product is being offered for sale on the internet and in various social media as a herbal tea and as herbal capsules to bring about weight loss. A female Swiss consumer has suffered severe side effects after using the product.
Analysis of the remaining teabags in the Swissmedic laboratory revealed that – contrary to the declaration on the packaging – this is not a purely herbal tea.
Rather, the teabags contained a white powder and a banned, undeclared synthetic pharmaceutical substance (sibutramine). Authorisation of medicinal products containing sibutramine was suspended in March 2010 owing to the risk of severe side effects.
Swissmedic cautions the public against buying any medicinal products or so-called nutritional supplements with health claims outside of the legal sales channels (pharmacies, drugstores, etc.). In particular, it warns against obtaining medicinal products and medical devices from unknown sources on the Internet, including social networks.
