Complaints say diet drug hCG is being sold outside pharmacies

Utah officials are receiving an increasing number of complaints that a popular prescription diet drug is being sold outside pharmacies.

The hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), is found in women who are pregnant and normally triggers the burning of fat cells for energy to help the fetus grow. However, the hormone is now being used in conjunction with a 500-calorie-a-day diet, causing the burning of fat cells when they would normally be stored.

Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing Director Mark Steinagel said he is actively looking into several allegations of improper prescribing. He said the division first started receiving complaints in May, fielding numerous calls on a weekly basis. Steinagel said only a doctor or nurse practitioner can prescribe the drug and only a pharmacy can legally distribute it.

"Our biggest concern is that people need to have the right prescription for them," he said.

"Pharmacies have restrictions on how products are stored, who has access (so that) it's more difficult to taint a drug," he said.

Steinagel said the division is investigating the complaints, along with several classified ads, and he feels action will soon be taken against some of the companies, in the form of fines and possible criminal action.

Jane Driggs, a spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau, said complaints have been filed on four companies selling hCG, but none of the complaints had to do with the hormone being sold without a prescription. Driggs said all four of the companies have opened within the past six months, and two opened in September.

Consumer protection agencies are also concerned about an increasing number of classified ads from businesses and individuals selling the hormone in varied forms at prices ranging from $29.99 to $250.

HCG was popularized by the book "The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You to Know About" by Kevin Trudeau. Since the book's publication in April 2007, people have been flocking to the hCG diet. Doctors are still debating the risks associated with the hormone.

Dr. Wayne Askew, professor and director for the Division of Nutrition at the University of Utah, said that the hCG hormone is produced by the placenta during pregnancy. "It triggers the use of fat storage when increased energy is needed for a developing fetus to grow," he said. Askew said when the hormone is given to a person who is not pregnant, it causes the body to rapidly use fat for energy. The hCG hormone is most commonly injected daily, but companies also sell it in a droplet form placed on the tongue, as an oral pill and a spray. The hormone is prescribed along with a 500-calorie-a-day organic diet.

Askew said usually when the body is receiving only 500 calories a day, it goes into starvation mode and the body burns less energy when it is at rest.

"I don't view this as particularly desirable. If a person is on a low-calorie diet he is going to lose weight anyway," he said. "Studies don't seem to show that it does that much, or that it increases weight loss. We would call it a fad diet that someone is trying to popularize."

Askew added that a 500-calorie diet doesn't allow the body to get sufficient quantities of the nutrients it needs, and recommends a vitamin supplement with any low-calorie diet.

Even though the hCG hormone is used naturally present in women during pregnancy, it is also found in low doses in men, just as females have a low level of testosterone. Although the hCG is marketed as natural, Askew said it is artificial to use it to stimulate a person's metabolic rate.

Draper resident Dan Jacobson was skeptical about the diet at first. When his wife's parents started to take the shots he thought it sounded fluky and doubted that someone could lose 30 pounds in a month and not be hungry. But after he saw the success of his wife's parents, who both lost 50 pounds, he decided to give it a try. The 28-year-old Jacobson is now on his third round of hCG shots and has lost 51 pounds so far. "I feel like I am 18 again. My energy level is really high. Getting that energy level back is amazing," he said. "I felt that it was not the only way (to lose weight,) but it's the easiest way," Jacobson said. He also feels more confident about using the hormone because it is becoming a lot more popular. He said he can't get his prescription at Draper pharmacies because they are usually out of stock, so he goes to a Sandy pharmacy.

None of the doctors contacted by the Deseret News responded to inquiries about how they prescribe hCG, but a voice recording for the company MD Diet on 3655 S. State St. explains how they administer the hCG hormone. The recording states that patients receive the shots for 45 days and men typically lose seven pounds a week while women lose five. The organization recommends a three- to six-week rest period between therapy rounds. The recording states that the body doesn't lose structural fat, but abnormal weight only, from fat pockets such as "love handles." The company charges a $125 setup fee and $10 for each injection, which would total $575 for a complete cycle.

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