Fourth overdose as health officials swoop on party drug

By MONIQUE DEVEREUX

Thousands of sachets of the party drug One4b were recalled last night as yet another overdose victim was taken to hospital in a coma.

The man, in his 20s, is the fourth victim in as many days to need hospital treatment after taking the drug.

Medical experts fear someone will die from One4b, and the Ministry of Health yesterday issued a rare public warning urging people not to take it.

The ministry also ordered the distributor, Outerspace, to withdraw One4b from sale.

In last night's case, Auckland Hospital staff were told the victim took several sachets of the drug at Piha Beach.

Three other people were admitted to Auckland Hospital over the weekend, saying they had taken One4b. Two were comatose, suffering breathing problems and seizures.

All were discharged within hours of arrival.

In yesterday's Herald, intensive care specialists Dr Les Galler and Dr Gill Hood urged that One4b be banned before it killed someone.

Last night Dr Galler said he was pleased "and surprised" at the speed with which the Ministry of Health had acted.

One4b is a legal version of the banned drug Fantasy, also known as GBH (grievous bodily harm) or liquid Ecstasy. It has sold in New Zealand - via distributors in Auckland and through the internet - for weeks as a dietary supplement, at $20 for 15ml.

The Director-General of Health, Dr Karen Poutasi, said One4b might have breached the Food Act and possibly the Medicines Act. If it had, its distributors were likely to be prosecuted.

Mark Barlow, from Outerspace, said last night that he had handed all his stock to the Ministry of Health and had recalled the remaining product from his distributors.

People who bought the drug over the internet could get their money refunded by contacting One4b and returning the drug.

The Ministry of Health will investigate whether the drug can be legally sold as a dietary supplement. Under present law there is no pre-market approval process for dietary supplements before they go on sale.

But the Food Act says manufacturers have "an obligation to ensure the products are safe for human consumption," and adds that manufacturers selling a product that is harmful to health can be prosecuted.

Dr Poutasi says people who have already bought One4b - it was widely sold at the Big Day Out music festival - are advised to hand it in to their nearest hospital. The drug will be disposed of.

One4b contains butanediol, which can produce a euphoric effect if taken in large doses. It works by stimulating the pituitary gland to release the human growth hormone.

Mr Barlow says the drug is safe if used properly and can be extremely beneficial for users.

He says it will not only induce euphoria, but can help users lose weight without exercising, reduce wrinkles, heighten orgasm, restore hair growth and eliminate cellulite.

One4b is sold in sachets that contain strict instructions not to mix it with alcohol or any other drugs.

The warnings say that an overdose "will possibly result in nausea and involuntary deep sleep for 3 to 4 hours."

The Ministry of Health is setting up an Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs which will have the power to carry out medical and scientific reviews of controlled drugs and make recommendations to the minister on how certain drugs should be classified.