Officials seek limit on toxic pill ingredient

Health officials want one of the main ingredients in new generation party pills restricted after four users became seriously ill, including one who suffered a stroke.

Advice to the Government's expert drug committee highlights concerns about DMAA (dimethylamylamine), a derivative of geranium oil, which is a "psychoactive substance" that reportedly gives users an adrenaline rush.

DMAA is contained in a number of new generation party pill substances including Sunrise and Hummer, which flooded the market when BZP varieties were banned and are being sold nationally in stores, including dairies, without age restrictions.

Papers released to The Dominion Post under the Official Information Act show a 45-year-old man suffered a stroke after taking DMAA in powder form, and other users have been hospitalised with severe nausea and headaches.

The industry estimates that about 100,000 DMAA-based party pills have been sold since BZP was banned in April.

A Health Ministry report to the Government's expert drug committee - responsible for classifying drugs - said while it believed the hospital admissions were due to DMAA use, there was not enough evidence to ban the substance.

"[But] the ministry believes the regulation of DMAA as a restricted substance would be a preferable course of action to the status quo which offers no controls around the marketing and availability of the substance."

It follows calls by drug experts last week to also make "chemical cannabis" - marketed as "Spice" or "Dream" - a restricted substance after it was banned in Austria and Germany.

The restricted substance classification was introduced in November and gives authorities greater control over the sale and marketing of a substance, including age restrictions.

Emergency department heads blew the whistle on DMAA after a spike in users admitted to Wellington and Waikato hospitals following the ban on BZP pills. Four serious cases at Waikato Hospital in June and July prompted the Health Ministry to issue a voluntary suspension of its sale in powder form in October.

A report to the committee in November said because only powdered DMAA was recalled, party pills containing the substance were "still widely available".

The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs could not be contacted yesterday.

But Drug Foundation director Ross Bell said DMAA should be made classified as a restricted substance "as soon as possible".

He said the effects of the DMAA were still unknown and classification meant the product could be sold with health warnings and children could not legally buy it.

Matt Bowden, founder of Stargate International which first developed party pills, also welcomed DMAA sale restrictions.

As with BZP, problems with the substance were being encountered because there were no restrictions on the quantity used in pills.

Users who had suffered serious side effects had likely taken huge doses, Mr Bowden said.

His new Stargate products which contain DMAA, including Hummer, had doses of up to 75 milligrams, but he supported a limit of 50 milligrams.

WHAT IS DMAA?

* DMAA, or Dimethylamylamine, is a stimulant derived from geranium plant oil and is usually mixed with other substances, including caffeine, to make party pills. It acts on the central nervous system, giving a rush similar to adrenaline.

* It is believed DMAA was first synthesised in the 1940s as a nasal decongestant and is also found in dietary and bodybuilding products.

* The Health Ministry says the substance's makeup cannot be verified as there is no international research.

* ESR testing of party pills containing DMAA last year was hampered by a lack of "authenticated reference standards", allowing verification that the pills tested actually contained DMAA. There are only a few international suppliers, the ministry says.

* While most users take DMAA orally, at least one hospital admission was linked to the substance being injected.

REPORTED CASES:

The Health Ministry was made aware of four cases between June and July in Waikato where users had consumed 99.9 per cent DMAA powder, such as Sunrise. They include:

* A 30-year-old Thames woman suffering vomiting, a headache and agitation after consuming powder bought from a local store.

* A 30-year-old man admitted in an agitated state, vomiting and with a headache so severe a scan was conducted to rule-out brain haemorrhage.

* A 17-year-old boy who had taken two non-BZP party pills admitted with drowsiness, complaining of a severe headache, nausea and vomiting.

* A 45-year-old man admitted after taking DMAA powder suffering a haemorrhagic stroke – ruptured blood vessels leaking blood into the brain, as well as other symptoms.

Source: Health Ministry, Advice to the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs

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