Doctor's Best is a well known vitamin supplement manufacture, so there is big news that the company is recalling more than 7,300 bottles of its "Best Red Yeast Rice" supplement because FDA testing revealed it contains lovastatin, a cholesterol-lowering medication.
The supplement can be dangerous for people already taking medications to treat their cholesterol or may cause drug interactions.
In rare cases, using the supplements that contain lovastatin could result in serious muscle injury, particularly in people already taking prescription "statins" such as lovastatin, simvastatin (known by brand name Zocor), or atorvastatin (known by brand name Lipitor). The supplements also pose a risk to pregnant women, and patients with pre-existing liver disease, who may be at an increased risk for liver injury following chronic use of statins, according to the release.
The company has not yet received any reports of illness related to use of the supplement.
Red yeast rice, a traditional Chinese culinary and medicinal product, can contain substantial amounts of monacolin K, which is chemically identical to the active ingredient in the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin (known by the brand name Mevacor). Other red yeast rice products contain little or no monacolin K, but the amount of the substance is not disclosed on the supplement's label and consumers have no way of distinguishing between them, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).
Link here: http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2014/06/doctors_best_recalls_red_yeast.html
