Herbal supplements pulled amid salmonella risk

WASHINGTON — A Las Vegas company was ordered to pull its herbal supplements off the market because some of its products tested positive for salmonella, part of a nationwide outbreak linked to the ingredient kratom.

The Food and Drug Administration said yesterday that it took the rare step of ordering the recall because Triangle Pharmanaturals refused to cooperate with U.S. regulators. Companies typically comply with government requests and voluntarily recall tainted products.

Calls and an email to the company were not immediately returned yesterday.

“This action is based on the imminent health risk posed by the contamination of this product with salmonella, and the refusal of this company to voluntarily act to protect its customers and issue a recall,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement.

Various brands of kratom supplements have been linked to nearly 90 cases of salmonella across 35 states, according to federal figures. Salmonella is a bacterial infection that causes fever, cramps, diarrhea and nausea and can be life-threatening. Nearly 30 cases of the current outbreak have resulted in hospitalization, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Sold in various capsules and powders, kratom has gained popularity in the U.S. as an alternative treatment for pain, anxiety and drug dependence.

But the FDA has been cracking down on the ingredient, which is made from a plant native to Southeast Asia. The agency says that kratom has no approved medical use and chemically resembles an opioid, the class of addictive drugs behind the current nationwide epidemic of drug abuse.