Medical Examiners vote to approve diet drug

RENO -- An outlawed diet drug users say really works soon may be legal in Nevada.

A unanimous vote Friday by the state Board of Medical Examiners removed Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) from a list of substances that physicians cannot prescribe.

But it will be several months before doctors legally can inject patients with the drug, since the regulation permitting it also must be approved during regulatory hearings and by the Legislative Commission, a group of 12 legislators.

During a hearing, Las Vegas lawyer Jacob Hafter questioned why HCG has been banned in Nevada when it regularly is used by physicians in all states surrounding Nevada for weight loss purposes.

Hafter said he represented a number of Nevada doctors who already use HCG -- a pregnancy hormone made by the developing embryo soon after conception and later by the placenta -- but they were afraid to identity themselves because of its illegal status in Nevada.

"This is safer than aspirin," added Hafter, who said he used HCG himself last fall in conjunction with a 500-calorie-a-day diet to lose 30 pounds.

He maintained he lost no energy during that period and felt fine despite the low-calorie diet regimen.

"HCG burns bad fat into calories used by your body," Hafter added. "That is why HCG is believed to work."

HCG began being widely used for obese people following the 2007 publication of Kevin Trudeau's best-selling book "The Weight Loss Cure 'They Don't Want You to Know About.' "

For those reluctant to have injections, the hormone can be purchased in droplet form from Internet sites. Information on what foods can be used to maintain the 500-calorie daily diet also can be found.

MayoClinic.com, however, said studies have found use of HCG is no more effective in reducing weight than placebos. What loses weight is changing one's eating habits to more healthy foods and exercise, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Also known as a fertility drug, HCG made headlines last year when Los Angeles star outfielder Manny Ramirez was discovered as having used the hormone. He used it to lessen the side effects of steroid use. Ramirez was suspended for 50 games for use of steroids.

Douglas Cooper, the interim executive director of the medical board, added that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration leaves it up to the states whether to allow HCG or not.

As far as he knows, Cooper said Nevada is the only state in the West that outlaws its use. Nevada outlawed the use of HCG in 1979, but there are no records in board or legislative minutes why the substance was made illegal.

Dr. Charles Held, the board's president, said several doctors contacted him about legalizing the use of HCG, including two who used it to lose weight themselves.

Van Hefner, a non-physician member of the board, said it costs patients $600 to $2,000 for injections of HCG, but they want the drug "because they find it works."

"No doubt the regimen works" added Dr. Benjamin Rodriguez, a board member.

"The question is whether it is the HGC or the 500-calorie diet," Held said.

Contact reporter Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.