Illegal use of beta-adrenergic agonists in the United States

Clenbuterol (CBL) is a member of the class of drugs called beta-agonists, which have powerful desirable and undesirable effects. Clenbuterol has the ability to increase muscle mass and residues in tissue of treated animals but can cause symptoms of acute poisoning in people. Symptoms, but no deaths, from CBL residue-induced food poisoning have been reported from investigations of separate events in Spain and France. In 1991, FDA sent letters to all states and USDA/FSIS advising them of the possibility of illegal CBL use in domestic animals and of our concern about adverse effects on public health if residue was present in food. The FDA asked U.S. Customs to be alert to attempts at illegal importation and to advise that we were prepared to investigate distribution, sale, or use of the drug. Analytical methods are available to assay for CBL residue in edible tissues and in the retinal tissues of the eye. Methods are being developed for assay of noninvasive samples such as hair. Residues of CBL have been found in one sample of edible tissue and several samples of retinal tissues from show animals and in some classes of commercial meat-producing animals. Several individuals have been found guilty of distributing CBL, cases are pending, and investigations are continuing. It is possible that CBL will be approved for safe conditions of use. The scenario of ultimately one or more beta-agonist drugs approved for legal use in food-producing animals and the probable continued availability of several illegal analogs will be a challenging containment task for regulators and the leaders of the meat-producing livestock industries.