Probe into energy drink linked with 5 deaths

The US Food and Drug Administration is investigating reports of five deaths that may be associated with an energy drink, which is currently on sale in Ireland.

The FDA on Monday confirmed it had received reports of five deaths and one heart attack that may be associated with the Monster energy drink between 2009 and June of this year.

Monster is being sued by the family of a 14-year-old girl, from Maryland in the US, with a heart condition who died after drinking two cans of its Monster energy drink in a 24-hour period.

The company says it did not believe the energy drink was “in any way responsible” for the death of Anais Fournier.

The lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court in Riverside by Fournier’s parents, said after drinking two 24-ounce (about 700ml) cans of Monster Energy on consecutive days, their daughter went into cardiac arrest. She was placed in an induced coma and died six days later, on Dec 23 last year.

The lawsuit said Fournier died from “cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity” that complicated an existing heart valve condition related to a disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

The two drinks together contained 480mg of caffeine, the equivalent of 14 12-ounce (350ml) cans of Coca-Cola, according to the lawsuit.

A spokesperson for Ireland’s Food Safety Authority said that under EU legislation, if caffeine content is over 150mg/litre, the label must advise that the product has high caffeine content.

Additional safety measures are to be introduced from Dec 13, 2014, the spokeswoman said, including that products with a high caffeine content are not recommended for children, or pregnant or breastfeeding women.

She said the authority had been party to discussions at an European level that have led to this change in labelling.

The FDA said it investigates any report of injury or death that it receives. The notices to the FDA’s adverse events database do not in themselves confirm a risk from a product.

The Monster energy drink is available in Ireland. However, GlaxoSmithKline (Ireland) is the leading player in sports and energy drinks in this country. Its key brands — Lucozade Energy (energy drinks) and Lucozade Sport (sports drink) — lead their categories, according to Euromonitor.

Lucozade and Lucozade Sport benefit from almost saturated advertising, as well as promotion by popular rugby, boxing, and Gaelic football stars.

Lucozade is the fourth most popular brand in Ireland, according to the retail publication Checkout Ireland.