Why has Metabolife remained on the market for so long?
Metabolife is primarily made up of ephedra, which is classified as a food and cannot be federally regulated. The FDA is unable to subject Metabolife to the same strict clinical testing standards as prescription and most over the counter drugs due to the 1994 federal law exempting ephedra-based products. Metabolife is under criminal investigation for lying to the FDA about possible Metabolife side effects in the past.
