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Ban DNP, RPS advises Home Secretary

Deadly diet drug can kill

RPS President Ash Soni and Chief Pharmacist Gino Martini have written to the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid MP, requesting a ban on deadly diet drug 2,4-Dinitrophenol.

DNP is an industrial chemical unfit for human consumption which is marketed illegally online to often vulnerable people to promote extreme weight loss.  There have been at least 21 deaths related to DNP since 2013. DNP is a yellow powder usually made into tablet or capsule form before being sold via websites, social media accounts, or via people at the gym.

We are working to raise awareness of the dangers of DNP, alongside the NHS, the National Food Crime Agency and others.  We believe it should be banned as soon as possible to prevent further harm to human health.

DNP accelerates the metabolism to a dangerously fast level. This increases body temperature which can damage organs such as muscle, the kidneys and brain. The result can be seizures, coma, kidney failure, muscle damage and bone marrow failure. Once these effects have started to develop, they are very difficult to treat and death can occur in spite of the best medical treatment.

Pharmacists can continue to play their part by making patients aware of the risks of buying weight loss remedies online and helping people with safe ways to maintain a healthy weight.

Read the letter to the Home Office. 

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