WOONSOCKET, R.I.--CVS/pharmacy announced July 11 it would be discontinuing sales of ephedra-based diet products as of Aug. 1. The chain, which has 4,100 stores and 110,000 employees, made the decision in the face of the recent bans and proposed bans that have been enacted in cities, counties and states nationwide.
As of August, all ephedra-based products will be removed from store shelves and returned to manufacturers for credit. According to a company spokesman, CVS (www.cvs.com) is not involved in any of the numerous pending lawsuits regarding ephedra products. "We believe that ephedra-based products are safe when used as directed," said Chris Bodine, executive vice president of merchandising and marketing. "However, with several communities where we have stores taking steps to ban products with ephedra, we have decided to discontinue the sale of these products."
