US FDA to investigate energy drink linked to deaths
Source: Agencies |
October 24, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE US Food and Drug Administration is investigating reports of five deaths that may be associated with Monster Beverage Corp's namesake energy drink.
Monster is also being sued by the family of a 14-year-old Maryland girl with a heart condition who died after drinking two cans of its Monster energy drink in a 24-hour period.
Monster, the top-selling energy drink in the US, said it does not believe its energy drink was "in any way responsible" for the girl's death.
Still, the lawsuit and reports of other deaths could escalate calls from critics including two US senators and the New York attorney general about the safety of the beverages and the way they are marketed.
The highly caffeinated drinks with aggressive-sounding names like Monster, Red Bull, Rockstar, AMP and Full Throttle are often associated with active or extreme sports, which makes them especially popular among young men.
They are the fastest-growing type of soft drink in the US, with sales increasing 17 percent last year to about US$9 billion, according to Beverage Digest.
The family of Anais Fournier sued Monster on Friday for failing to warn about the product's dangers.
The lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court in Riverside, said that after drinking two 24-ounce cans of Monster Energy on consecutive days Fournier went into cardiac arrest. She was placed in an induced coma and died six days later on December 23, 2011.
The lawsuit, filed by her parents, said Fournier died from "cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity" that complicated an existing heart valve condition related to a disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
The two drinks together contained 480 milligrams of caffeine, the equivalent of 14 12-ounce cans of Coca-Cola, according to the lawsuit.
A spokeswoman for the law firm representing the family did not return calls seeking comment.
"Monster is unaware of any fatality anywhere that has been caused by its drinks," the company said in a statement, adding it intended to vigorously defend itself against the lawsuit.
Monster is also being sued by the family of a 14-year-old Maryland girl with a heart condition who died after drinking two cans of its Monster energy drink in a 24-hour period.
Monster, the top-selling energy drink in the US, said it does not believe its energy drink was "in any way responsible" for the girl's death.
Still, the lawsuit and reports of other deaths could escalate calls from critics including two US senators and the New York attorney general about the safety of the beverages and the way they are marketed.
The highly caffeinated drinks with aggressive-sounding names like Monster, Red Bull, Rockstar, AMP and Full Throttle are often associated with active or extreme sports, which makes them especially popular among young men.
They are the fastest-growing type of soft drink in the US, with sales increasing 17 percent last year to about US$9 billion, according to Beverage Digest.
The family of Anais Fournier sued Monster on Friday for failing to warn about the product's dangers.
The lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court in Riverside, said that after drinking two 24-ounce cans of Monster Energy on consecutive days Fournier went into cardiac arrest. She was placed in an induced coma and died six days later on December 23, 2011.
The lawsuit, filed by her parents, said Fournier died from "cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity" that complicated an existing heart valve condition related to a disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
The two drinks together contained 480 milligrams of caffeine, the equivalent of 14 12-ounce cans of Coca-Cola, according to the lawsuit.
A spokeswoman for the law firm representing the family did not return calls seeking comment.
"Monster is unaware of any fatality anywhere that has been caused by its drinks," the company said in a statement, adding it intended to vigorously defend itself against the lawsuit.
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