Nutraquest avoids lawsuits under chapter 11

New Jersey-based Nutraquest, a former manufacturer of ephedra supplements under the name of Cytodyne Technologies, has filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11, according to press reports yesterday.

The company's ephedra products have been linked to the deaths of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler and football player Rashidi Wheeler, but Wheeler's mother yesterday dropped the case against the company, instead holding coaches responsible for his death.

The Chapter 11 filing will allow the company, facing a growing number of lawsuits, to rebuild business, and also suspends all litigation against it.

Ephedra has now been banned in three US states, but the Food and Drug Administration has still not decided whether to introduce stricter labeling measures for the herbal in the rest of the country.

According to a report in the Chicago Tribune​, Wheeler's mother had originally blamed her son's university for failing to provide adequate medical attention during an asthma attack. After joining the suit against ephedra makers in the summer, she dropped the claim again yesterday.